


Omega

by BonneyQ



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Gruvia - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-24
Updated: 2014-01-31
Packaged: 2017-12-21 04:42:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 54,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/895919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BonneyQ/pseuds/BonneyQ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being an Omega in the world is not easy. Finding your mate is not easy, but can be quite pleasurable - AU - GRUVIA</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Don't know... It ended up being different than what I thought it would be.
> 
> This is an AU, it'll have a different storyline from the Manga, but not all. I'll try to keep as much in character as I can.
> 
> WARNING: This is M-Rated. There will be sex and mention of abuse/rape. If you don't think you can handle, please, don't read.
> 
> English's not my first language, so bear with me. ;)

In the world there are a few types of people. Normal and Mages. Of course, as the minority, Mages were not known by society, only a few knew about them. And unlikely the name suggests, they couldn't do magic, even though magic was within them.

Mages were stronger, faster and with senses much better than normal human beings. Some even had an extra gift or two. And of course, they had ranks, and those were difficult to argue about. Once a person was born in a rank, they would be in it until death. Changing ranks was almost impossible.

There were Alphas, the ones who take charge, strong, decided and natural leaders. There were Betas, they support the Alphas in whatever way they can and are very loyal. There were the Commoners; they were mostly ordinary, part of the flock and submissive to their Alphas. And of course, there were Omegas, the lowest in the rank: they were bullied, last to receive anything, and were called pathetic often.

Being born an Omega in this world was such a horrible thing, yet very few people did something to stop it. Some would say that the Omegas were essential for life to be balanced: they needed to get their frustrations out somehow and the pathetic, weak Omegas were the best way to do it.

It was also general knowledge that a Mage couldn't decide who their mate was. After finding each other, the couple would be marked as mates, or not after having intercourse. If it never appeared after six months, the odds were that they weren't meant to be. Most would break off any relationship after said period of time, but a few stayed together even though they were never marked, and were very happy about it.

But to find a mate was not finding a husband or a wife; it was to find the part of you that you always knew it was missing. At least it was what most of mated Mages would say.

Mages were not known to exist by the Humans, but they often gravitated towards each other, since most acted like a pack of wolves and stayed together, an institution with Mages, was called a Guild and once a Guild was installed, there was an Alpha, a Beta, Commoners and Omegas.

#

Juvia Lockser was an Omega, but unlike her fellow cast members, she was not weak. Being a loner had its advantages, she guessed. To tell the truth, the 24-year-old could make many Alphas run for their money, as she did a few times during the 7 years she has been running across the world.

A girl needed to protect herself and she learned how to the hard way.

Once a month, a female Mage would free pheromones when ovulating and it lasted for three days. Even though Aspirin took most of the smell away (no one knew exactly knew why it did), there was still a few vestiges of it and a few Mages would get handsy with the female and force copulation.

Juvia ran away from her previous Guild just because of it and she would be damned if she was going to let it happen again. Phantom Lord was nasty and she was glad to leave.

Thankfully she found a friend there, one that didn't share the rest of the Phantom Lord's ways of living, even if he didn't exactly stop it.

Gajeel Redfox was tall, dark, scary and an Alpha but all Juvia could see was the kind man he hid deep inside. And, after she turned eighteen, they ran away from Phantom Lord, they ran away from their country, not stopping much in any place they could be found.

Seven years later, they reached Magnolia.

And so far, it was the best thing that happened to them. After all that time being just the two of them, they finally found a place where they could live; and the best part: they found a guild.

Finding Fairy Tail was a total accident, really.

Juvia was a swimming teacher, in one of their long staying in a city, she took a course and was licensed to teach it. She had a class for young kids, and one of the mothers was a Mage. Biska Connell was a kind, but fierce woman, and her daughter Asuka was just adorable and took a liking on Juvia.

By smell, both women identified each other and even though Juvia was a little bit scared of socializing with her, Biska was nothing other than polite and sweet.

"You haven't presented yourself to the Guild, have you?" The green haired woman asked, while her daughter was coming out of the pool. "I don't remember seeing you there." It was common to the Mages to present themselves to the local Guild, if to stay for a long time in determined place and both Gajeel and Juvia were yet to do that.

"Juvia is still finishing organizing her schedule." The blunette smiled politely. She avoided doing it; the presentation was awful, so as soon as a Mage questioned her about it, it was time to move. And it was sad to leave Magnolia, it was such a nice town. "Soon."

"Alright." Biska smiled. "Our Guild is very nice, you'll like the people there. Even though we have more Alphas than we need. I mean, seriously, how much mess can men do?" She joked and Juvia had to giggle. The blunette lived across the hall from her friend, and she knew how messy Gajeel was.

"That's true."

"Do you have a mate yet?" Biska asked, kneeling down to the floor to dry her daughter.

"No." Juvia shook her head. The truth was: she didn't want one. A long time ago, she thought she found the one, but as it turned out, he wasn't. Bora was just a Commoner who shared the narrowed view that a female Mage should mate with every male of the Guild until she found who her mate was.

"Maybe you will find yours at Fairy Tail." Biska shrugged. "That's our Guild name: Fairy Tail. It's nice. My husband and I are there almost every day with Asuka. I'll write down the address for you and tell our Master that you'll be dropping by soon." Juvia tried to argue, but the woman kept talking. "Everyone will be happy to meet you."

Gajeel was against the presentation; he wanted to leave like they had done it before, but Juvia was firm, telling him that they had a nice life in Magnolia and so far, no one from Phantom Lord had come close enough to find them.

She suggested going alone, no one knew about Gajeel just yet, but he said no.

"I am no pussy, Juvia. Besides, you'll need me to kick their asses if they get funny. Those motherfuckers might think that there are no sufficient mage women in the world for them to mate." He had said and both went to present themselves.

Fairy Tail was not what they expected.

It was loud, it was messy, and it was funny. Too many alphas, too many betas, but, strangely, no evident omegas.

The Master was a short old man, who smiled when met both Juvia and Gajeel, offering them something to drink and asking what they did for a living, where they were from (it was pretty clear from their accents that they were foreigners) and what were their business in the area.

Gajeel and Juvia never had such a warming welcome in other Guilds, so they proceeded with caution, telling the basics about their lives.

"You two should come by a few times." The old man smiled. "If you like it, you could join us in a few months if you fit in." Both new comers looked at each other, in confusion. Were they in probation? They never got even close to be in probation at other guilds. "You'll see that we are not an ordinary Guild, though. Currently we have 6 Alphas here, myself included, and it gets messy." Makarov chuckled with their expressions. Usually Alphas were very territorial and relatively rare, since they were meant to lead a Guild. "I know, I know. But we get along just fine, even though fights are not unusual, it's nothing serious. We are a family here."

Juvia was going to answer him, she truly was, but then, a smell caught her attention. She never smelled anything so good before. It was the combination of divine and perfection. It was all the smells she liked combined. It was the smell.

The girl got up from her chair, as if she couldn't control her own body. She had to find the source of the delicious fragrance; otherwise she was going to get crazy. Gajeel called her name, but she paid him no attention. She didn't notice that the tall man was following her with curiosity, and so was the Master.

When she saw him, everything in the world made sense. It was as if she was lost for her whole life and finally found the answer to all her questions. It felt as if the world got brighter all of a sudden; her rainy life finally found a ray of light.

He was taller than the pink haired man he was arguing with, dark spiky and messy hair, droppy gorgeous black eyes, and defined muscles because yes, the man in question was shirtless, showing his defined abs and strong arms. He was a fine specimen of Mage. And he smelled just right.

The man frowned and also started to sniff the air around him, until he lifted his head towards the woman's position and their eyes locked.

It was as if an electrical charge passed through her body. All she could think was that she wanted to throw him on the ground and have her way with him, since his smell was driving her crazy. She never felt that before in her life, most definitely not with Bora or the other men she coupled with.

This man was different. A good king of different.

Suddenly, the man broke eye contact, blinking hard and taking a step back when Juvia took a step forward. Seeing his reaction, the girl stopped on her tracks, not to scare him. She felt like a wolf looking to a little lamb, really.

"Well… it seemed that we will see you around." Makarov's voice reached her ears. He grabbed Juvia's hands and guided her towards the dark haired man. "Juvia, this is Gray Fullbuster. Gray, this is Juvia Lockser."

"Nice meeting you." Juvia greeted with her heavy accent and the man's, Gray, frown deepened.

"A foreigner?" He asked, curious and saw the girl get close to him with a bright smile.

"Yes." She tried her best to get closer to him. "Are you from around here, Gray-sama? What do you work on?"

"I… Wait, Gray-sama?" The man exclaimed as the people around him laughed.

After that, Juvia became a frequent guest (pest, in Gray's case) at Fairy Tail together with Gajeel. Her friend, although never voiced, liked the Guild; especially when a certain petit librarian was around. At the very moment they met, Juvia was sure they were meant to be. Gajeel had smelled the girl and fought his urges to mate her as much as he could, but Juvia could read him like an open book. Gajeel wasn't one of sleeping around. He had had his fair share of women, but he never acted the way he acted around Levy McGarden.

As it happened, Levy got closer to him and by consequence, to Juvia. Not that the Omega girl thought Levy was a bad person, but she would rather stay around Gray. And she was; every time the man stepped in the guild, Juvia was around him, like a puppy following its master.

Gray would entertain her but not once made a move to get her. When she didn't want the attention, she got it. When she did want the attention, she didn't get it. Was fate playing with her?

After three months, Juvia and Gajeel were more than familiar with the members.

Juvia made a few girlfriends for the first time on her life, such as Levy, a writer named Lucy (she was a human before mating with Natsu Dragoneel, the pink haired friend/enemy of Gray-sama's. She now had more physical power than a regular human, but less than a Mage.), a barmaid named Mirajane (who also was a model), Lisanna (Mira's sister and also a barmaid), Erza (a real estate agent), Cana (a bar owner), Biska (Juvia learned that she and her husband worked as snipers at the army) and Wendy, a little girl who dreamt to be a doctor someday. Gajeel wouldn't say, but he also made friends. Juvia could see the joy in his expression when the boys fought each other, all friendly like.

But they didn't join the Guild.

Even though it was very different from Phantom Lord, they couldn't affiliate themselves with a Guild, otherwise Jose could find them, and Jose Porla, leader of Phantom Lord, was not an easy man to deal with.

Then, something happened.

Gajeel Redfox and Levy McGarden mated for the first time. And, even though rare, they were marked at the very first time. They were mates and only death could break them apart.

The man was shocked out of his mind. It was so rare for a couple of Mages to mate at the first time they had sex, that neither he nor Levy would ever imagined that could happen to them! Natsu and Lucy's marking happened that way, so the probability of happen again at a Guild was slim, almost inexistent… But it did.

His life was not his own anymore. He and Levy were one forever.

Juvia was happy for her friend, truly was. But got concerned about what they would do with the running away. His mate had a life there: friends, a steady job.

The month that went on after the discovery of the mating between Gajeel and Levy was so tense, that Juvia lost track of her ovulating period, forgetting to take the Aspirin to hide the smell, and since she was busy, Juvia didn't meet Gajeel, otherwise he would've reminded her of it.

When she arrived at the Guild, she felt a few stares on her, but didn't think much of it. She was still the new girl.

Before she could reach the table she usually occupied with the girls, the blunette smelled Gray and was about to go after him and talk a bit with him, like she always did, but before she got the chance, she felt a pair of hands grab her by the wait from behind and turn her around.

Juvia would've fought if she didn't know who it was from the smell. She had to protect herself a few times from a few men.

It was Gray.

The blunette found herself being thrown at the nearest wall with such force, that a regular human would've cried out in pain, but Juvia was no human. If anything, she thought it was about time to stop beating around the bushes. His 'I-don't-feel-the-tension' speech was getting too old too soon. She knew that Gray wasn't in love with her like she was with him, but he did want her.

He pressed his whole body on hers and Juvia had to contain a groan of approval from escaping her lips. For a moment he stared at her deep blue eyes with his dark ones, who seemed to be glowing and darken than usual. And his stare… Gray was looking at Juvia like never before.

The man looked hungry and was looking at Juvia like she was his meal, and by god, Juvia wanted to be.

"G-Gr-Gray-sama…?" Juvia whispered as his arms tightened around her waist. The man moved, so his nose was close to her neck touching the sensitive skin while breathing in her scent.

At the same time, Gray's own smell started to get stronger, surrounding her, captivating her even more than it already did. She couldn't escape it, not that she wanted to. For her, she was right where she should be.

"Your smell." Gray said, still with his head buried on her neck, taking deep breaths, as if he couldn't get enough of it. "It's stronger today. I can't…" If possible, he held her tighter. "It's so good." Juvia moved her head to the side, so he could nuzzle on her even more, and he took the hint. "Goddammit, Juvia!" He said and his hot breath oh her neck made her shudder.

Then, it was gone. His warmth was no longer on her. Feeling rather dazzled with all that, the girl opened the eyes she had no idea she closed and saw Natsu grabbing Gray with all his might, with his arms around the black haired man, while he struggled to get free.

"Let. Me. Go." Gray said between gritted teeth, looking at Juvia with his dark eyes.

"Cool down, man!" Natsu said, holding Gray tighter. "You are not yourself right now. She's in heat, you are not thinking straight!"

"Let him go." Juvia said weakly, while Lucy arrived by her side.

"Juvia…" The blonde woman tried to say, but Juvia stopped her with a raised hand.

"It's alright, Natsu-san." The blunette was staring at Gray. "You can let him go." She said and could see the doubtful look the pink haired boy gave his mate, who just shrugged.

Natsu released Gray slowly and before he actually did it, the dark haired man had already shrugged his friends' arms from around him and was close to Juvia once again.

"Gray-sama." Juvia whispered to him. Even though he was there, his mind wasn't. She touched his cheek with tenderness and he closed his eyes, leaning towards her touch, while wrapped his arms around her waist once again. "Gray-sama, come back to Juvia." He shook his head, and the girl had to try harder. "You don't want it like this. Come back." A shook of his head once again and Juvia said with more strength. "Come back."

When his eyes opened, they were less clouded and less dark than before. Gray was there, not the one who threw her at the wall, her Gray-sama.

He blinked once. He blinked twice and looked down to see his arms around her waist, her hands on his cheeks and both too close to each other. And even though her smell was still strong, he managed to get back.

Juvia was smiling to him softly. "You're back."

"What…?" Gray untangled himself from her and gave two steps back, feeling all the eyes of the guild on him. "What happened?"

"You were all over her, Gray." Natsu said, rolling his eyes. "She's in heat and you went all Alpha on her."

The dark haired man's eyes snapped open, in shock for losing control and attacking Juvia. All the color was getting drained from his face, as he looked to Juvia, to see if she was injured. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." The blunette nodded. "Are you?"

She could see the anger in his eyes, probably with himself for losing control. "I wasn't just attacked, Juvia!"

"Neither was Juvia. You didn't do anything, Gray-sama!" The blunette said with calm. "Juvia doesn't see a… hug as an attack."

"A hug." Gray scoffed and started to walk from one side to another, just like a caged tiger; impatient. "Why on earth…" As Natsu's words sank in his mind, the dark haired man stopped on his tracks. "You're in heat. That's why…" He whispered to himself, then spoke louder. "Why didn't you take your damn Aspirin today, Juvia?"

"Juvia… forgot." The girl suddenly felt stupid; not taking the Aspirin meant that males could smell her strength and often there was a case about a woman being taken against her will. When he heard her answer, all the color that was drained from Gray's face returned full force; he was mad. "It's…"

"You…" The man managed to say, before making a gesture with his hands that could be interpreted as: 'I want to strangle you.' "How could you forget?"

"Gray, accidents happen." Lucy said with kindness, trying to help her new friend.

"Don't, Lucy." Natsu said, arms crossed above his chest and a grim expression. "I hate to say it, but Gray is right." At that moment, Gray was staring at Juvia, but pointed to Natsu; a silent way of telling the blunette that he wasn't the only one with that opinion. "You have no idea how strong the scent is, especially if it's your mate, and how hard it is to control the urge to just grab you and fuck you silly." The blonde woman opened her mouth to scold him about his language, but Natsu didn't let her. "Because that's what we feel. Some of us can control it, others can't. What if it wasn't Gray who grabbed her? She was lucky enough to bring him back from the daze, because he was almost getting away from my grasp and when our mind is set on mating, we can defeat an army."

"See?" Gray resumed his pacing. "Stupid, Juvia. That was so stupid of you that I can't even believe you did it."

"Sorry." The blue haired woman mumbled and felt Lucy take her away from the men.

"Come on, Juvia. I have Aspirin in my purse just in case." The blonde said and Juvia followed her towards the bar Mirajane tended, where the white haired woman was already holding a cup with the medicine.

Juvia could see Gray and Natsu arguing, but couldn't listen to it not even with her heighted hearing, but by their expressions and gestures, she could see that it was a heated argument. After a few moments, Gray left the Guild without even looking back, leaving Juvia sad and afraid to have deepened the abyss that separated them.

#

Later that day, after spending an hour at Fairy Tail, Juvia went home, feeling utterly defeated with everything that happened earlier. She really forgot about the Aspirin; Juvia would never forget about by choice: at Phantom Lord taking the medicine was the only way to prevent the men to jump on her even more than they already did. She learned the hard way to never forget about the Aspirin.

She didn't regret having Gray so close to her, that was the only part of her day that something made sense; but Juvia had plenty conscience that Gray would more than hate himself if he had taken her like that, on a pheromone high.

They had become closer during the four months Juvia was visiting Fairy Tail. At first, everyone could see that the man could barely take her presence around him; but as time passed, he got looser and even Juvia could see that he relaxed around her. They became somewhat friends, even if Juvia stalked him everywhere and sometimes forgot about boundaries.

But what happened earlier… The way his body felt on hers, his breathing on her neck, the eyes dark with desire… Oh, his smell surrounding her, like a warm blanket. A sudden wave of hotness passed through her body and Juvia stopped in the middle of the fly of stairs she was on to get to her tiny apartment.

The worst part of being ovulating was the heat. All of the female body would get a flush of hormones at random times for the three days it lasted, and it was, as the name indicated, hot. For mated Mages or even the ones with a friend to help out, it was a nice period for trying to have a baby or to have steamy sex, but for the ones like Juvia, almost celibate, it sucked.

A woman in heat wanted to have sex. Badly. And a woman in heat who wasn't having sex during her heat was a very bitchy one.

Despite her growing frustration about not having a partner to share her heat with, Juvia chuckled when thought about Gajeel getting lost that time of a month, every month since they became friends. He didn't have the patience to deal with a sexually frustrated woman. He barely had the patience to deal with women in general, actually.

Juvia did have experience with sex during heat, more than what she wanted, really. But for the first time in her life, she felt like jumping someone. When Gray had grabbed her, she wanted him to keep going. After seven years of loneliness, Juvia Lockser wanted a man like her life depended of it.

From the moment she saw him, actually, all Juvia wanted was for him to have his way with her.

As an Omega, Juvia was bound to end up with another Omega; like Alphas were attracted to other Alphas, Betas to other Betas; Commoners to other Commoners.

Alphas were meant to be attractive for the lowers casts; as they were strong and powerful. Juvia couldn't say how many male and female Alphas she encountered that had many admirers; but in the end, even if they had their fun with Betas, Commoners and an occasional Omega, they always mated with another Alpha and later, have little alpha babies.

Gray Fullbuster was no Omega, that was for sure. He was a fine specimen of Alpha, and although they were separated by their labels, she wanted him and he wanted her, she could tell from their earlier encounter.

He wanted her as much as she wanted him.

Groaning in frustration again, Juvia returned to climb the stairs. Only another fly and she was home, and that's when his smell invaded her nostrils once again. Frowning deeply, she started to walk much faster, until she reached the third floor of the old building she lived in.

He was leaning on her front door, arms crossed above his chest. He was wearing the same clothes as earlier, a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt that, oddly, had a butterfly on it.

"Gray-sama?" Juvia asked dumbly and confused. "Wh-what are you…?"

"Just wanted to make sure you got home safely." Gray said, looking to the side. Maybe it was the light on the hall, but he seemed to be getting a little pink on the cheeks. "A girl in heat walking around without taking the Aspirin…"

Juvia felt the heat wave all over again. All of her body was receiving a rush of hormones that only increased with the fact that there was an Alpha in front of her. An Alpha she wanted to no naughty things to.

The girl was about to open her mouth to tell him thank you, and then get into her house as fast as she could to stay the hell away from him, like she had done for the past four months; when the heat took over and she thought: What the hell.

"No, you didn't." The blue haired girl started to slowly walk towards him.

"What?" Gray turned his head to look at her and immediately straighten himself.

"You didn't come here to see if Juvia got home safely." She stopped a few inches away from him. Aside from earlier that day, this was the most intimate position they got themselves to. She wasn't even touching him like she did before by grabbing his arm one time or another, but it seemed like she was already all over him. "You could've called for that. You have Juvia's phone number; she made sure of that." And she did; on the first opportunity she got, the girl snatched the phone away from him and put her number on it, giving herself a ring to save his number also.

"Well…" Gray shifted uncomfortably. "I thought it was more efficient to…"

"Okay." Juvia crossed her arms under her breasts, purposely lifting them a bit. "Juvia's home and safe. You can go now if it's all you came here to do."

It took all of her strength to tell him these words. What if he really did pass by just to make sure she was fine? What if she was reading his signs wrong? What is he really left?

Well, there was a bottle of cheap wine inside her apartment that would give her a strong headache in the morning and would make her forget about her silliness. She might drunk-call him, but well… How much worse could she embarrass herself in front of him?

They stared at each other's eyes for a moment. His scent was strong and inviting, and Juvia was sure that hers would also be, since she was in heat. Even with Aspirin, a trace of the fragrance would stay and with the small distance they were from each other, Gray sure smelled it, even if faintly.

His pupils were dilating and Juvia was sure that hers were too. She could smell his scent grow stronger.

"I don't want a mate." Gray said, staring into her eyes.

"Juvia doesn't want one either." Once upon a time she thought she found hers, but Bora was just another son of a bitch. But what she felt for Bora was pale to what she felt for Gray. While she wanted to kiss Bora tenderly, she wanted to rip Gray's face off with kisses.

Was feeling psychopath a trait of girls about to get mated?

"I don't like random one night stands." Gray's head leaned towards Juvia, but still without touching her.

"Juvia too."

"I can be very territorial." The man put a hand on the swell of her hips with tenderness.

"Juvia too." She took a deep surprised breath, but didn't show any sign of stopping it.

"I am very reserved." Gray put his other hand on the other side of her hips.

"Juvia t… well, sometimes." She smiled and he smirked, while his hands slowly found its way under her blouse. Not much, just a bit, and his thumbs started to rub her hipbones in a circular motion.

"I…" The dark haired man was interrupted by Juvia.

"Can we figure this out later?" She said with urgency.

"Hell yeah." Gray sighed in relief and before anything else, he leaned in and kissed her lips.

Someone should've told her that kissing Gray would make her mind stop working, that her body was going to light up like fireworks and that the heat would increase tenfold. And when their tongues met, she was a goner.

By instinct she knew that any other man would make her feel that way again.

And dear lord, all he did was kiss her and she was already feeling her sex throb in need. Yeap, Gray Fullbuster was going to be the death of her, that was sure. She would probably die during sex, because if a kiss was making her feel this way, sex would destroy her. It would be awkward when people wanted to know how she died and a bunch of old hags would whisper: 'She died having sex with the Fullbuster boy. They say she couldn't take the pleasure.' Then, a bunch of women would want to get Gray because they would think of him as a sex god.

At the thought of the faceless women chasing Gray, her Gray-sama, Juvia opened her eyes and broke the kiss, earning a deep growl from Gray, but didn't last much. The girl pushed him towards the wall with all her Mage strength and he looked both confused and impressed with her.

Juvia, then, leaned and pressed her body onto his, slowly. He moaned in approval when Juvia started nipping on his neck. Gray didn't do anything, of course. His hands quickly got under her blouse and started to touch her everywhere.

"Right now…" The blunette whispered between small bites and kisses. "You are mine."

They changed positions so fast, that Juvia only fully understood what was going on when she felt her back on the wall that he was previously leaning on.

Gray easily topped her in height in strength, but somehow he looked taller and stronger when he looked down on her. His dark eyes glowing with arousal and the smell of his need for her.

"And you are mine." His voice was deeper than ever was. "Right now, you are mine. Aren't you?"

The hands that were under her blouse went up and fondled her breasts and Juvia whimpered in need for him to do more to her. "Yes. Yes! Always yours."

Her answer might have pleased him, because at the next moment, there was a groan of approval and then his mouth was on hers again, more fiercely than before. It seemed like he wanted to taste her everywhere, and she was glad to let him complied that.

When his fingers found her nipples and twisted a bit, a jolt of pleasure went through all over her body and Juvia grabbed Gray by the shoulders and bulked her pelvis towards his and then she felt him.

She felt all of him.

That was it, she was going to die having sex with him. Juvia was certain. But she couldn't think of a better way to go.

Too soon into the kiss for Juvia, they had to come out for air, both breathing like they had run a mile without a break. Gray leaned and took a deep breath on her neck, before started to do what she had done to him not long ago. He kissed and gave her little bites, while the girl just let out gasps and held him tighter into her.

"G-Gray-sam…oh…" She said and he grunted something, never stopping his ministrations. "W-We sho-should get, ah, inside." The blunette wasn't helping her case at all, since her body betrayed her and her head fell to the side, giving the Alpha more access to her neck than before. A glimpse of her sane mind appeared for a moment and, for the heavens, he was with his hands under her blouse, kissing her neck like it was the best thing in the world for him, while she had her nails deep on the skin of his shoulders, and her hip touching his with all her might.

When the man didn't stop, Juvia tried to push him away, at least it was what her mind thought she would do, when in reality, her hands seemed to bring him closer.

"Gra-Gray-sama!" Juvia said weakly and this time, the man stopped and looked up to her with a devilish grin on his lips, her nether areas growing hotter and wetter. Dear lord she was leaking like a broken sink, Juvia thought. Worst analogy ever, but her mind wasn't exactly working at one hundred per cent.

"I like when you call me 'Gray-sama.'" The Alpha made his nose touch her cheek, kindly. The gesture was almost too sweet for the situation, until he said the next words. He kissed his way until her ear, where he bit her earlobe lightly. "I need you right now." Gray groaned on the girl's ear while the omega melted in his arms. "Juvia…" He kissed her again, with such intensity that he needed to hold on to her so she couldn't fall down.

Getting inside the apartment was a problem she didn't think was worth thinking right then. He could take her there in the middle of the building's hall and she wouldn't care about it.

Apparently, he did care about it after all.

"Let's get inside so I can take you."

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He wanted to take her. Could he get any hotter?, Juvia thought and she nodded; but noticed that he didn't move an inch to let her open the door.

"Gray-sama…"

"Hm?" He said, nuzzling her neck.

"Juvia has to… open the door." She whispered and Gray scowled, but set her free, giving a step back away from her and when he did, she hated it. The woman wanted to be back at his arms, where the world made sense and he kissed her. She stayed staring at him for a few seconds, thinking how lucky she was to have him wanting her as much as she wanted her. Because, really, he couldn't hide the bulge in front of his jeans.

"Juvia?" He said, with an eyebrow up.

"Yes." The Omega snapped out of her day dreaming.

"Open the door." Gray was using his best 'Alpha voice', which basically meant: 'I rule this place, so do what I say.' If it was any other man, the feminist in Juvia wanted to tell him to not give her orders; but this was Gray. And when he was the one telling her what to do in that voice, she got more aroused.

At some point, her purse had fallen on the floor and she had to bend over to get it. Juvia's hands were shaking so much that she took a while to get to the opening and search for the keys. Gray made an unpleasant because of the wait and Juvia understood; she needed to be close to him too.

"Just… one second." She whispered as he rubbed himself on her, the girl could feel his length on her butt cheeks and almost dropped the keys when she finally found them, with how much her hands were shaking and because Gray had his hands on her hips.

Why on earth did she have five keys for? And why did all of them look the same? After the third try, she finally found the one and almost let out a squeal of happiness.

She opened the door and stepped inside, Gray following right behind her.

He turned her around and started kissing her again as soon as the click of the door could be heard and now, at the privacy of her apartment, they could do anything they want and Juvia was going to take advantage of it.

As they desperately kissed, Juvia felt she wanted to touch him more, and put a hand on his covered chest and let it roam until it reached the bulge in front of his pants, squeezing it a bit.

Gray stopped their kiss and made a sound of surprise, followed by a groan.

"Juvia…" He warned her, but Juvia wasn't scared a tiny bit. It was different with him, she never had so much fun with a man in that situation. Usually she was too uncomfortable to do anything. Gray, on the other hand, was magnificent and made Juvia want to be herself. "Don't play with me…" She squeezes once again and Gray snatches her hand away from him, pulling her hip closer to his. "Enough. You will not make me embarrass myself." He captures her mouth with his once again and this time, he let one of his hands go down and grab her ass a bit, before raise her leg, so she could wrap it around his waist.

She took the hint soon enough, when Gray did the same with her other leg, and without stopping the kisses and touches, Gray walked towards the bed.

The Alpha didn't even found weird that the bedroom was just there, where they were, but the truth was that Juvia was not swimming in money, so all she could rent was a bedroom, with a small kitchen (that was separated from the bedroom by a counter) and a small bathroom.

When both reached it, Juvia didn't let go of him and Gray had to lie on top of her, not that it seemed like he was troubled by it. If anything, he complied happily.

They kissed for a while, touching each other from above clothes, until it wasn't enough anymore. Juvia started to pull his shirt up and Gray took the hint, stepping away from her enough so he could take his shirt away.

Juvia bite her lower lip and sat, touching his abs carefully and very pleased that he was such a fit man. Gray let her do it, looking at her while she touched his stomach. The Alpha let out a small sound of surprise when he felt the woman's hands go directly to his belt.

"Juvia…" Gray tried to stop her, but she had already undone it and was working on the pants, and truth be told, he wanted her to undo his pants. The problem was that she still had all her clothes on. "Juvia, you…" He was about to say something, but Juvia undid his pants, bringing it down to his knees along with his underwear.

Juvia looked up to him and offered a toothy grin. She most definitely could work with that.

"Damn it, Juvia." Gray groaned, leaning down to kiss her again before she could what she clearly wanted to. Juvia let it slide; they would have time for oral stimulation later, she would make sure of it, but at that moment, she needed him inside her as fast as possible.

Gray quickly found the hem of her blouse and wanted to take it off and with Juvia's help, he succeeded. And as it turned out, she wasn't wearing a bra that day; her blouse provided enough support for it. He looked down to her bare chest and leaned to kiss her collarbone, giving it a little love mark, and started to kiss his way down to her chest. Once he reached his goal, Juvia could only moan in approval.

Her hands went to immediately grab his hair, while his own started to fondle the breast his mouth wasn't working on and it felt amazing. There were so many feelings, so many sensations that her mind couldn't process everything, so she just felt.

The Alpha would lick and let his teeth tease her nipple, while his hand worked on the other, and one, following the same patters and leaving the Omega crazy. Once he changed and went to the other breast, Juvia couldn't take it anymore. She was ready for him since before they even entered her apartment! And as good all of that was, she wanted to have him inside her at that very moment.

"Gr-Gray-sama." Juvia managed to say, squirming underneath him. She could feel his erection on her thigh and, oh, god. He was worried that he was going to be embarrassed? Really? Juvia was almost coming with only a few kisses and touched on her upper body only, for goodness sake!

When he paid her no attention, Juvia called his name again and was ignored once again. At the third time, Juvia also pulled his hair a little, so he stopped his ministrations with an irritated look on his face. "What?"

"Juvia needs you. Right. Now." The blunette let her deep blue eyes bore into his. She was aware that he could smell her need for him, just as much as she could smell his. Both were at the boiling point.

"Yes. Now." Gray said and started to fight the buttons of her jeans, muttering. "Fuck, I am an expert of taking clothes off, why the hell…?"

Not in the mood for any more delays, Juvia grabbed Gray's face and kissed him deeply for a moment, and when she stopped it, the blunette said: "Finish taking your off and Juvia will take hers." The girl got up from the bed and Gray followed her.

The man nodded eagerly, it wasn't comfortable to have his shoes on, and pants on his knees while having sex. And Juvia wanted him to be as flexible as he could during their time together. She had dreamt a while for it.

After fighting with her sandals and pants, Juvia finally was freed of all of her clothes, even her panties were gone; turning around, she found Gray as naked as she was, a few steps away from her.

And boy, he was perfect.

Some people might say that perfection doesn't exist, but at that moment, to Juvia, Gray was the epitome of perfection. His eyes glowing with desire, his defined chest going up and down as he breathed hard, his length in the middle of his legs, standing and asking for her attention. Everything about him was perfect.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Juvia covered her breasts and looked away from him. She forgot how much he enjoy them a few minutes before, she didn't see the lustful face Gray made when saw them uncovered for the first time. Girls, not all, but most, were very self-conscious and even though Juvia knew she had a nice body, all she could think was that her breasts were too big, that her ass was too big, her legs were too big, her…

"Don't." Gray whispered on her ear. In her moment of thoughts, she failed to notice his approach. The Alpha took her arm away from her breasts. "You don't have to cover yourself." Juvia nodded, still looking shy. "You smell so good." Gray said, snuggling her neck exactly like he did it earlier at the guild. "I have been fighting the urge to stay the day smelling your hair when you appear at the Guild."

"That makes two of us." Juvia giggled and Gray smirked and lost his amusement almost at the same moment.

"We can stop, you know? I can still…" Gray said to her kindly, but Juvia shook her head.

"If you leave right now, Juvia will explode and not in a good way."

"Juvia… Once we start, no coming back." He informed her.

"No coming back, then." Juvia tip toed and kissed him lightly on the lips. Gray pulled her close to him and kissed her softly, turning it hotter again by the second. Juvia wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulder, feeling his erection, hot against her stomach.

Once again, Gray laid her onto the small mattress and proceeded to touch her hips, her stomach, her breasts, while Juvia moaned over and over.

She never had such a careful lover in her life. Gray was taking his time, learning where to touch to make her sigh, where to lick to make her squirm and the blunette was more than happy to be the subject of his study. But she was becoming impatient.

To speed thing up a little bit, the Omega girl roamed her hand down until she reached his member and gave it a stroke. Gray gasped and closed his eyes, stopping the nipping on her neck, to let out a groan of approval as she stroked him again and again.

"Ju-via." He moaned her name and the girl almost lost it. If there was a sound that was better than Gray saying her name the way he just did, it was not known by her. "Fuck!" He removed her hand from him. "I told you that you wouldn't make me embarrass myself tonight, Juvia."

But the girl was in a roll; the smell of him, his arousal was so heavy in the air that it was making her drunk with desire. She tried to move, but Gray didn't let her. He started to trail kisses from her stomach and down. The Omega was surprised when he did open her legs so far apart, but was not shy.

He glanced at her for a second before take a lick on her sex and Juvia squirmed, lifting her hips in shock. Gray put a hand on her hipbone to make her stay in place while he resumed his actions.

If Juvia thought that kissing Gray was heaven, having Gray kissing her down there was the nirvana.

She was already wet for him before, but now she was flowing like a river and if anything, it seemed to please Gray, since he started to lick and nip her sex with eagerness; soon enough a finger was added to the equation and Juvia couldn't hold her loud moans anymore. Especially when Gray took his time with her clit.

She didn't know how long it passed, but the lower of her stomach was contracting, it was hot and it was telling her that she was going to come soon and hard. "Gra…" Juvia put her hands on his hair, pulling it a bit, but not really caring about hurting, because he seemed to think of it as a stimulation. And then, it was happening. "Oh…"

Her upper body was raised, since the lower was firmly being held by Gray, and her body shook while the pleasure bolted through her body like lightening. Her mind turned blank, all she could think about was how good it felt, how good Gray made her feel.

So far in her life, Juvia hadn't had an orgasm given by another person. She could when she was alone, but never with someone else, and Gray had just given her that.

Returning from her high, Juvia noticed that Gray was now smiling down to her, he was supporting his weight off of her with her elbows and his knees. Juvia couldn't help it but smile back, putting a hand on his cheek. "Tell me there's more."

"There is. But we can stop here." Juvia sighed with his answer; always the gentleman.

"No way." She responded; Gray nodded as she pulled him down to kiss him once again.

It seemed her body still hadn't taken enough of him, because as soon as their lips met, the fireworks were all being set off once again. Juvia had a hand on the back of his neck, while once again she grabbed his shaft, at the same time that she bit his lower lip.

"Juvia…" Gray moaned as his hips bolted on her hand. He was so hard on her hand, thick and heavy too. Difficult to believe that it would get bigger once inside her. "If we do it wrong, the knotting will hurt you…"

"Juvia wants this; you." She started to guide him towards her entrance and Gray complied. When the tip of it touched her, Juvia sighed. This was really happening; she was about to mate with Gray, the man she has been in love for quite a while.

It had been years since the last time she had sex, but she was sure it wasn't like that. Once he started to slowly enter her, Juvia had to catch her breath with the feeling. It had to be Gray to be the one making her feel all that, she was being open in a very deep way, and it was somewhat weird to have him inside her, but it didn't hurt. It just made her feel complete, full.

"Are you okay?" Gray asked and Juvia nodded, seeing his restraint. She could see in his face that if he could, he would be pounding into her like there was no tomorrow and she fell in love for him all over again at that moment.

"More than okay." Juvia kissed his lips. "You can…" She moved her lips a bit, and he took a sharp breath in, and started to move. Slowly at first, then, as the blunette started to give a few pleasure moans, Gray started to speed up his rhythm up.

Juvia had to cling into his body; she had to hold on to something, because having him like that was turning her mind upside down. Oh, she didn't know how good mating could be. Feeling his heat so close to her body, his sweet smell of want.

He was letting a few groans of pleasure from time to time, exciting Juvia further and further. Juvia would meet his thrusts half way, and she couldn't say who was more surprised with it; him or her.

"Gray-s…" Juvia couldn't finish it, he had twisted her hips just a bit and had hit a very sweet spot inside her, a spot she swears could make her see stars. Grinning when heard the gasp she made, Gray stilled her hips at the same position and started to thrust into her at that position, making the omega underneath him squirm.

Even Juvia could smell the strong fragrance of her arousal, she could feel the sweaty back of Gray under her hands, she could feel her lower abdomen start to get heated once again; Gray's name as a prayer coming from her lips until she felt she was about to come once again.

Gray captured her lips with his as she started to contract her inner muscles around his member, as another orgasm hit her, stronger this time.

She could feel Gray continue his movements while her mind went higher than a kite as she felt the pleasure once again. Boneless and satisfied, Juvia would've called it a night after it, but Gray was yet to have an orgasm of his own.

"Gray-sama…" She whispered and stared at his eyes, darker than ever.

"Juvia." He kissed her lips, coming out off of her. Before she could think about what was happening, Gray spun her around, placing the girl on her hands and knees. Her head fell into the mattress when Gray entered from behind. It was a new angle, he was inside her, touching her where she never thought someone could reach and it felt heavenly.

His speed became rapid, wild and she knew he was close to get there, and by the heavens, she wanted him to. His hands were everywhere,

The knotting. She always hated that part. It was painful, but she didn't care; Gray already gave her too much that night, Juvia was happy to knot with him. What she didn't expect, was to feel his hand go south and touch her clit in a crazy motion. She didn't expect the loud moan that came out of her. She didn't expect the fire that ripped through her veins. And she certainly didn't expect the lower of her stomach to boil once again.

She felt the base of his penis to start to thicken to do the knotting and the fear of hurting was gone; she knew Gray wouldn't hurt her. She was safe with him.

Gray went rigid as he released himself inside her with a final thrust; his release triggering her own as bright spots started to dance in front of her eyes and pleasure was all around her.

She came. Again. She knew she was going to die having sex with Gray, really. The man made her come three times in one go when no other came even closer. He was her sex god.

Carefully laying on the bed side by side, the couple stayed united by his length, the knot would only release itself after Gray had a few mini-orgasms every few minutes for about fifteen minutes, and Juvia needed time to breathe. But it seemed she wouldn't have, since her inner walls would start to contract so Gray could release himself even more inside her. It wasn't an orgasm for her, but it was very pleasurable.

Even with her brain leaking from her head, Juvia marveled with how different of an experience it was when you wanted to mate with someone.

After the knot was gone, Juvia half expect Gray just get up and leave like the others; and surprised her when he didn't. The man turned her over to him and kissed her forehead, offering her a smile; which she returned eagerly, curling herself by his side, putting her head on his shoulder.

"If this is how Alphas have sex with their women, Juvia wonders how come you don't have a flock of fangirls after you, Gray-sama." Juvia said and Gray laughed, in a very good mood.

"This was not how a real Mage Alpha gets his woman, Juvia." Gray chuckled.

"What?" Juvia raised her head to stare at him, in confusion.

"This was all me, no Mage stuff involved, except for the knotting." He told her.

"But the smell…"

"It was what triggered it, yes, but you didn't get in heat while we were together. When you do, I won't be able to control myself and I will take you like I'm crazy." Gray whispered on her ear. She saw how men would get once they were set her mind on it and a memory ripped through her mind, suddenly pushing Gray away from her.

Frowning, Gray sat on the mattress, staring at her in confusion.

"Juvia, what is it?" He asked, concerned, trying to touch her. But she got away once again. "What…?"

"Will… will you remember that you are you, Gray-sama?" The Omega asked, still not staring at him.

"Of course I will. I was just exaggerating, Juvia." He answered, worried. "I always remember. Earlier today I was caught by surprise and it was the first time you had such strong smell." Juvia looked up to him, feeling better; but Gray wasn't going to let it slide. Pulling her towards him, she let him do it this time, Gray embraced her awkwardly. Girls seemed to like hugs when they were sad.

"Hey… what happened? Why did you…?" The Alpha asked kindly, feeling stupid for ruining the mood.

"Juvia had a few bad experiences. Some men really lose their minds." She whispered, accepting his embrace and relaxing into his arms, feeling safe once again.

"What kind of bad experiences?" Gray pried.

"The kind no girl should have." She sighed and felt Gray's body tense.

"Were you…?" He asked, anger barely hidden on his voice and the blunette nodded, only to hear him cuss under his breath,

"It was common for Omegas in Juvia's old Guild." She mumbled and shrugged. "Juvia got it easy, really. She was smart enough to take Aspirin and stay away from the guys. It didn't work all the time, but…" The Omega girl blushed and tried to change the subject. "Gray-sama doesn't need to hear about it…"

"How many?" Gray didn't let her change the subject so he used the same Alpha tone he used before.

The girl hesitates, but answered. "Five. No, no. Six."

"Did you want to have sex with any of them?" The muscles of Gray's jaw were tight as he clenched it.

"The heat says that we have to…" Juvia repeated what the old master told her many times. "And to find a mate…" That's why finding a mate scared the crap out of her.

"Juvia, I am not talking about the heat, I am talking about what you wanted." Gray made her look up to him.

"Juvia was fond of one, but… It never felt right, you know? Even when Juvia wanted to mate, she didn't want to mate with them. They were all… wrong." She took a deep breath. "That's why Juvia left. Gajeel –kun too."

At her friend's name, Gray's eyes turned icy. "Did Gajeel…?"

"No. No." Juvia assured him. "He never participated. Ever. He left with Juvia because of it." Gray visibly relaxed.

"If I ever find these sons of bitches…" Gray promised her and then his eyes went wide. "Oh, god. Juvia, I…" The blunette looked to him in question. "We just had sex. We knotted, I didn't even… Fuck, are you alright? If I had known..."

Juvia grabbed his head, putting her hands above his cheeks so he could stare at her. "Gray-sama, you didn't do anything Juvia wasn't comfortable with, really." He was looking at her in doubt. "What we just had was the most wonderful thing Juvia ever felt in her life." He relaxed a little bit, but not completely. "It's been seven years since that time, Gray-sama; Juvia is better now. She can protect herself so if she didn't want it, Juvia would've kicked your ass." The Omega smiled to her beloved Alpha. "If there's anything Juvia isn't comfortable with, she will tell you; but so far, you did everything so right that all Juvia wants to do, is to have you all over again."

Gray gulped. "Are you sure I…?"

"Yes." Juvia leaned to give him a quick kiss and Gray kissed her back, fully relaxing. "Juvia is sure." The Alpha nodded, accepting her words for now.

"You need to take another Aspirin in a few hours; don't forget it." Gray said, watching her lie on the bed. "If you want me gone, I can…" Gray pointed to the door.

"Gray-sama." Juvia laughed and sat just enough time to grab him by the shoulders and lay back on the back, with him on top of her. "You can stay; Juvia wants you to stay, so please… do. Juvia is alright, so, don't worry."

"Will you take the Aspirin?" Gray narrowed his eyes. "To be around you with your smelling like you are in full heat… I get crazy with you already ingesting the Aspirin…"

"Yes, Juvia will take it. In a few hours." Gray lied on the mattress and Juvia rested her chin on his chest. "How about this: if Juvia is uncomfortable with something, she can say… Hm… Snow. Like it's a safe word. How about it?"

"A safe word?" He wondered, considering it.

"Yes." She smiled to him and he sighed, nodding in agreement.

"Fine. But you better use it!"

"Okie Dokie." The Omega rested her head on his chest for a while, making crazy patterns on his chest, while he did the same with the hand he had wrapped around her waist. "Gray-sama?"

"Hm?" The Alpha acknowledged.

"Are you staying for the night?" Juvia asked with hopeful eyes and he rolled his black eyes.

"Yes."

"Does that mean we can mate again?" She happily wondered.

"Juvia!" Gray was startled when she covered his body with hers, and then arranged herself to be on his lap, straddling him. His member was reacting against his will to the vision. "You…"

"Juvia is fine." The blunette leaned to kiss him, but before she did, whispered. "You can always say 'Snow' if you don't want to."

Neither did.

#


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Hektor, the Khal to my Khaleesi, who helped this n00b with the Battlefield 3 part.
> 
> WARNING: This is M-Rated. There will be sex and mention of abuse/rape. If you don't think you can handle, please, don't read.

Chapter 02

During the first week of their arrangement, Gray and Juvia saw each other every night, and truth be told, not many words were exchanged. They wanted to know about their anatomies more than their minds, and it was fine for both. One of the nights, though, Gray started to tell her about the origin of the Alphas

"You don't know where Mages come from?" Gray asked, frowning. They were naked underneath the thin sheet covering their bodies. Juvia had her head resting on his shoulder, using her finger to draw an invisible pattern on his chest. Gray, on the other hand, had an arm behind his head, and a hand on Juvia's hip.

"We didn't have many history lessons growing up." The blunette said. "We only know that we are different. And after leaving Phantom, we needed to work more than researching for Mage heritage."

"Okay. Well, I learned that way: Mages come from magic, logically. It's said that before, Mages could change into wolves." Gray told her and Juvia sat on the bed, surprised.

"Like… Werewolves?"

"Yes. No one really knows why, but the best theory was that a small village was cursed by a goddess with it. They couldn't control the change, it happened with every full moon." Juvia's eyes were huge in excitement of learning about it. "It went on. After a generations, a woman called Mavis went to the goddess' who cursed the village temple and offered her life so the curse would be lifted. But as it turned out, it couldn't, not entirely. The goddess, whose name is long forgotten, said that she could hide the beast inside, but people would still have a few traits of the wolves: the strong sense of smell, the good hearing, more strength and they would still have the knotting.

"With this deal, the beast would no longer control the man; the man would control the beast. But, in return, the mages wouldn't be able to choose their mates, the goddess would and they wouldn't have much say of it. After a period of time, a matching mark would appear on the couple and they wouldn't be able to be far away from each other for long if they were mates. If they weren't, after some time they would drift away from each other. Better than turn into a brainless wolf during the full moon, right?" Juvia nodded, absorbing it all. "The match-making would be what the goddess would gain out of the bargain. It's said to be what powers her."

"Juvia can't imagine a person turning into a wolf, though." The blunette said.

"I can." Gray chuckled. "I've seen it."

"What?" Juvia asked, surprised.

"Laxus. The Dreyars are almost pure, while others mated with humans from time to time, his family didn't. I've seen it once. He really does change into a wolf." The Alpha shrugged.

"You are kidding." Juvia eyed him with caution.

"No, I swear." Gray told her. "He needs to get really angry, but he can do it. And trust me, it's terrifying."

"That's so cool!" Juvia beamed and Gray laughed. "Imagine if we could actually become wolves."

The man rolled his eyes but listened to her rants about being a werewolf, laughing and offering some insight from time to time. Juvia was sure he had thought about being a real werewolf.

Ω

A month and a half into their crazy relationship, that consisted into have great amounts of sex in the seclude place of Juvia's apartment, Gray had enough of it.

"How can you live in this place?" The man asked, coming out of the bathroom.

"Hm?" Juvia acknowledged Gray with a humming sound while ate a spoon full of strawberry ice-cream.

"You live in a tiny room with a kitchen that it's not even a square foot, your bathroom barely fits me and you have a single's bed and yes, the bed bothers me because I like space: I am a normal person. When I'm here, I feel like I'm inside a dolls house." Gray held the towel around his waist and Juvia stared at him, still eating her ice cream.

"It's not that bad." She shrugged.

"Yes, it is." He told the girl. "Juvia, I move and something breaks. You used to have six glasses. You have three now."

"Juvia can't just move to a bigger place just because you think this one is small, Gray-sama." The blunette rolled her eyes.

"It is small. How about we go spend a few days in my place, then?" Gray suggested while took Juvia's towel to dry his hair. "Where things have normal sizes, the bathroom is big enough to turn around without some beauty cream fall down, a sink without an endless parade of women products, a real kitchen and the best part: a double bed."

"Juvia's bed is just fine." The woman pouted.

"It's small."

"We snuggle together." Juvia said, putting her hands on her cheeks.

"I don't like snuggling," Gray said and ignored when Juvia said 'Yes, you do', continuing his speech. "But we can snuggle in a big bed just as easily." Gray crossed his arms above his naked chest, staring at the woman lying in the same bed he was bashing. "And I have a living room with a TV that doesn't look like it's a miniature."

"You liked to watch movies with Juvia, Gray-sama." The omega girl pointed.

"Please." He scoffed, turning around to search his backpack and then trying to find his underwear. "It was never about the movies, it was about what happened after the movies ended. You were more than okay to be with me after a crappy romance movie. Half of the time I wasn't even listening anyway."

"Gray-sama!" Juvia exclaimed in shock. She had no idea that he didn't like the movies. He seemed to be so amorous after the… Oh. "Oh." Juvia pouted. "You know how to manipulate Juvia, Gray-sama."

"Not my fault." He laughed when her pout became bigger. "Now, tomorrow can we please stay at my apartment?"

"Sure." Juvia shrugged. "Juvia thought you prefer to stay here so you could leave at any time you wanted." Gray rolled his eyes.

"Well, I am asking you to stay at my place for a couple of days, not to move in. Don't worry, if I think you are bothering me, I'll tell you, okay?"

The blunette nodded with a big smile on her face.

Ω

After two and a half months into their relationship, Gray and Juvia took turns to see where they would spend their nights together, which were more and more frequent. Even if Gray's apartment was indeed bigger, they still stayed at Juvia's to balance things.

One weekend, Juvia was staying at Gray's, trying to find a DVD for them to watch, when she found his stash of video-games. He had many, she noticed. One in particular was on top and the disc wasn't inside, so she assumed it was on his PS3.

"Hm… What game is this?" Juvia showed the case to him. Gray squint his eyes.

"Battlefield 3. It's a shooting game."

"Oh, looks like fun! Let's play it!" The woman said getting up. She was wearing one of Gray's shirts and nothing else, while Gray was only in his underwear sitting on the couch.

"Juvia…" Sensing his despair, she pouted sweetly. What was with boys and playing vide-games with girls?

"Oh, come on! You said it yourself that you watched movies with Juvia because of the reward after. Juvia wants to do the same." She said, excited. "Just this one time!"

"I don't think you'll like it." Gray tried to get out of it, but Juvia wouldn't let him. She wanted to try to like what he liked, so maybe they could have something else to bond over.

"Really, just once." She begged, making her eyes glassy and big so he couldn't resist, and after a few seconds, he gave in.

"Choose your nickname for it." He said, groaning while she shrieked in happiness, turning the PS on and going to sit by his side.

"What's yours?" The Omega girl asked.

"Booster."

"Then Juvia will be JuBooster. People need to know that Juvia is with you, Gray-sama." The man groaned in annoyance. "Now, explain to Juvia what each button does. The generalities."

Gray proceeded to explain to her with calm what to do during the game, which buttons to press, what to do and the blue haired girl listened with concentration, taking it all in. After a few minutes of explaining, Gray hesitantly gave her the console and handed the earpiece with the myc.

"We'll play with my clan, okay?" The Alpha asked her and Juvia nodded, eager to start the game. Gray explained to her that many of those men were actually business men who played the game to vent some frustrations, and some were thirteen year olds, so it was very mixed.

Once they were online, Gray put Juvia's on his clan and soon enough there were voiced coming from the earpieces.

"Hey Booster!"

"Ready to go, man?"

"Who the fuck is JuBooster and why is he here?"

"Oh, that's Juvia's nickname. Hi guys!" Juvia said happily.

"Is that a girl?"

"A girl?"

"Is she lost?"

"I bet it's a cross dresser or something. Remember Sienna?"

"You mean Sean?"

"No, Juvia's really a girl. What are they talking about, Gray-sama?" She was confused.

"Wait a moment."

"Booster, is that your girlfriend?"

"You brought your girlfriend?"

"Duuuuuude."

"Shut up! She asked to play and I promised her one go." Juvia could see that Gray was blushing and had to hide her smile.

"Is she hot?"

"I bet she's hot. He wouldn't bring her here if she wasn't."

"Hey JuBooster, are you hot?"

"Yes." The blunette nodded and then shrugged. "At least Gray-sama seems to like it."

"Juvia!" Gray exclaimed completely red in the face.

"What?" The omega woman frowned with his little outburst.

"Just… let's play the game. No one says another word about her. Let's face an easy game so she can see that she doesn't like it and move on."

When the first shoots were heard, Juvia let out a squeal, but after it, she followed Gray, and started to do what he had explained to her, shoot. Only a few minutes in the game and Juvia was killing it. Literally, she was killing the opponents with remarkable ease.

"Why are they so weak?" Juvia asked without taking her eyes off of the flat TV.

"They are not. You are good." Gray said excited. They were exterminating the stupid pre-adolescents that were making fun of his clan just the past week, calling them old men. "Keep going, I got your back! Guys, cover her."

When the game ended, their team was the winner and Gray grabbed Juvia's face and gave her a very big French kiss

"Booster?"

"Yeah?"

"Bring JuBooster next time."

"Shut up." Gray rolled his eyes and went offline. Juvia could feel his eyes on her as she took off the headphones and putting the console down. "You were very good for a first timer. Like… you were very good."

"Thank you." Juvia liked the flattery, so she got up from the couch and stopped in front of Gray, leaning down to kiss his lips adoringly. "But you were right, Gray-sama." Juvia sighed, passing her hand through his hair. "It was fun, but Juvia didn't like it that much."

"What?" Gray looked at her in surprise. "But you were good!"

"Then call Juvia as your secret weapon, Gray-sama." She laughed and started to walk towards the kitchen. "Do you want to eat? Juvia can make you a nice omelet."

"Yeah, sure." The man looked down and sighed. After a few moments, he called her. "Juvia?"

"Yeah?" She answered from the kitchen.

"Next week I'll be playing with a nasty clan. Would you…?"

"Help to kick their ass? Sure." She laughed lightly and happily. As it turned out, they did bond more.

Ω

Three months and a half into their arrangement, it was clear that everyone at Fairy Tail knew about them. It was very hard not to notice how much closer the couple was, or that Gray often smelled like her body wash, and how Juvia sometimes smelled like his soap, but no one said a thing about it.

Thankfully, they knew how fragile it was; Gray wasn't exactly a man that liked to show his feelings and Juvia was still a flight risk since neither she nor Gajeel had affiliate themselves to the Guild yet much to Levy's frustration.

Just like Juvia, Gajeel did not reveal the whole truth about his their life to no one, not even the small librarian nor Gray. Juvia could see that he wanted to, but already had too much going on with the fact that he had a mate who needed him.

And Juvia… she didn't know where she stood with Gray. They were friends with benefits, she guessed. Friends, at least. But her heart wanted more; the sad part was that she didn't know if he could give her more than what they had.

And they hadn't marked so far. Most couples were marked around their third month after engaging sex for the first time, but with Gray and Juvia was yet to happen; if it ever did.

Gray did tell her when they first slept together; he told her that he didn't want a mate, and Juvia thought that as long as they weren't marked, she could still have him. To have a mate that didn't want to be marked was frustrating, she heard. Even though they found their soul mates, they pretty much wanted to be single instead.

During that particular day, Makarov announced that their annual gather up was coming in the next few weeks. When Juvia asked about what exactly it was to Cana, Gajeel a few steps away but aware of the conversation, he was waiting for Levy to return from the bathroom, and the brunette woman answered:

"We meet our Sister Guilds in one of the towns and we fraternize, meet new members, talk, things like that." Juvia paled and took two steps back from the brunette woman, who stared at her with worry. "Juvia? Juvia, what is it?"

"You… fraternize?" Juvia stared at Gajeel and saw him pale as well. Memories of the fraternizations she was obliged to go, the men she had to be with over and over again, and the pain she suffered when she disobeyed.

The blunette felt sick.

She thought Fairy Tail was different, she though they were good people, but… They did have plenty of non-bonded girls and the youngsters… Oh, god.

Juvia was barely aware of Gajeel yelling for Levy, that they were leaving, she was barely aware of the attention she was bringing to herself, she was barely aware that her back hit the wall.

Gray was by her side when Juvia started to hyperventilate, asking Cana what was happening. He tried to touch her, but she snapped and pushed him away using not her normal human strength, but her Mage one, and since he was not expecting it Gray was almost thrown to the other side of the room.

Her vision was starting to become more and more foggy with the lack of oxygen, when she felt Gray embrace her; she didn't see him coming; she struggled and he didn't let her go. She heard him whisper to her:

"Breathe. Juvia, please, breathe." He whispered in her ear. "In and out. Come on, you can do it. Copy me." Gray took a deep breath and subconsciously Juvia copied him. "Now out."

After a few minutes, she was breathing normally again, her body almost limp being held by Gray. Somehow they were both sitting on the floor when she came to herself once again.

By instinct she fought Gray's arms, the same arms that she felt safe for so many nights now meant danger. "Juvia…"

"Fraternizations?" Juvia asked. "You… You have children here!"

"What?" Gray asked, confused. "Is this about the fraterniz…?" Realization washed over Gray as he understood why she was so upset. "Oh. Oh. Juvia, no. No." He reached out for her and this time she let him. Gray put his hands on her cheeks and made her look into his eyes. "This is just a few Guilds getting together so the members can talk and be friends. There is sex sometimes, I can't say that there isn't, but it's always consensual. The kids under eighteen are in their rooms at 10, and always with a responsible adult." He explained. "There won't be any of the things you've been through."

"So… no gifts for other Masters?" Juvia asked with a tiny voice. "No… no raffle?"

"Fuck, what they did to you?" Gray let his forehead touch hers. "No, Juvia. Nothing of the sort. It's safe, I promise you. Okay?" She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but truth in them, so, she nodded.

Gray helped her get up from the floor, and when the blue haired woman saw that most of the Guild was staring at her, she blushed deeply.

"Juvia…?" Cana called the girl and Juvia suddenly felt ashamed for her silly outburst.

"Oh, Juvia is so embarrassed." The Omega girl hid her face on Gray's chest. Now they would know about her encounters with those men, and they would hate her. When she finally thought she could build a life, she destroyed it with a fit.

"Oh, sweetie, come here." Mirajane held her arms up to Juvia, with tears glowing on her eyes. Juvia frowned in confusion, looked up to Gray, who nodded, and went towards the white haired woman. Mira, then, wrapped her arms around Juvia and gave her a bear hug. "We didn't know, otherwise we would've said in a different way about our reunion."

At first Juvia froze with the hug, but then relaxed and hugged back. "It's okay. It was an overreaction."

"No, it wasn't." Mira reassured her, leading her towards the female bathroom. "Come with us; let's clean your tears away so we, girls, can talk."

The Omega girl touched her face and only then she realized that she was crying. Oh, what a mess she was. How silly. "Erm…"

"You don't have to tell us anything." Lucy said appearing by Juvia's side. "But it helps to share."

The girls gathered and Juvia told them part of her past; the darkest part. Her shame, her weakness. None of them seemed to be disgusted. They looked sad and angry by the time Juvia told them the generalities of what happened to her for five years. Cana said that she wanted to kick some Phantom ass, while Erza was holding a soda can that was being completely compressed by her grip. Lucy was openly weeping and holding Juvia's hand. Levy asked about Gajeel and Juvia told her that he didn't participate of it, but she should ask him for the whole story. Mirajane hugged the blue haired woman.

After that, Juvia felt much lighter. They knew it and none of them treated her badly because of.

When the girls finally released her, Gray was waiting for her; the Guild almost empty, he was typing something on his phone but looked up to her once he smelled her. He was quick on his feet and was by her side in a second.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Gray probably saw the tear lines on her face, but as a change, those tears relieved her.

"Yes." Juvia wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face on his chest and breathing in his scent. "Let's go home."

That night he held her.

Ω

Four months into their relationship, the Guilds' fraternization arrived and the members of Fairy Tail went to a close city called Hyster. It was small, but it was very beautiful; the beach had white sand, blue shining water and very polite locals. The hotel Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale were holding their fraternization was big and apparently, four stars. The owner knew Master Bob, as it appeared, and gave them a discount.

Juvia wanted to go even though Gray had assured her that he would stay in Magnolia with her if she didn't feel comfortable with it. She told him she was still a little scared inside, but trusted him and Fairy Tail and that she wanted to get rid of the feeling that all mages were monsters. So, after a two hour drive, they arrived at Hyster.

"Let's do the check-in." Gray said with a smile when he saw Juvia's eyes sparkle as she stared at the sky, the trees, the sea, everything.

"This is so pretty!" She said happily. "Juvia wants to the beach!"

"We will. Now come on." Gray pointed to the hotel as he grabbed their suitcases. "It won't take long. And you have to put your bathing suit." Juvia agreed and both went to the fancy hotel.

After checking in, both were shown their room. Gray told Juvia that it was cheaper if they just booked a room, and they knew that only one room would be actually used. Juvia eagerly agreed, internally doing a silly victory dance.

"This room is bigger than Juvia's room!" The blue haired girl said when they entered the hotel's room. "Look at the bathroom, Gray-sama!"

"To be fair, most of the rooms in the world are bigger than yours." Gray said, hugging Juvia from behind. "It shouldn't be a surprise that a very nice hotel would also be bigger."

"Don't talk about our love nest like that."

"Our what?" Gray asked livid as she walked towards her bag to fetch her bikini.

"You like it." Juvia teased him.

"I don't." He rolled his eyes. "Do you want to go to the beach or not? We have five hours before the party start downstairs."

"Juvia will change." She kissed his cheek and went to the bathroom with her purple bikini to do just that.

As it turned out, many of their guild mates were already spending the day at the beach, playing volley, building sandcastles and sun bathing.

Juvia sighed in relief when she didn't catch any tension from them, unlike the fraternizations she was forced to go. They were happy to be there.

"Juvia-sensei!" Asuka run towards her with her adorable bathing suit, which had a few dolphins printed.

"Hello, Asuka-chan." Juvia scooped the girl from the ground and kissed her cheek. "Are you ready to show if you really know how to swim?"

"Yes!" The girl squealed in happiness and then turned to Gray, who was by Juvia's side. "Hi, Gray."

"Hey." He smiled. "I want to see if Juvia taught you well, okay?"

"Okay!" Juvia put her on the ground. "Mommy said that I can show to you later, now I will make sandcastles with Wendy and Romeo."

"Go, then, sweetheart." Juvia said and the girl went running toward the young couple who already was building a castle on the sand.

"Gray, Juvia!" Lucy appeared by their side. "You sure took your sweet time."

"She wanted to do her hair before coming." Gray rolled his eyes.

"Juvia wanted to look good, Gray-sama." The Omega girl said.

"Well, good job, then. Your hair looks very beautiful." Lucy said and Juvia touched her pigtails with a big smile.

"Thank you, Lucy-san." Juvia looked around. "Where's Natsu-san?"

"I sent him up to our room to fetch a bridal magazine that I want to see while I sunbathe." The blonde woman said. "I was going to relax this weekend, but I am too excited with the wedding."

Juvia giggled with the clear excitement of the woman in front of her. Just two months before she and Natsu announced that they were getting married. For a Mage couple to get married was a little redundant, since their marks meant more, but some still did, and since Lucy was human for most of her life, she wanted to get married. So, in a few weeks, they would do just that.

"If there's anything Juvia can help with, please tell me." Juvia was excited too: it was one less girl to want her Gray-sama.

"Sure." Lucy nodded. "But the worst part of the planning is over. Of course, explain to my human father that the marking was stronger and deeper than marriage and make him accept that I am not entirely human anymore and that I know Natsu for only eighteen months and I know for certain that he is the only guy for me wasn't an easy job, I can tell you that." Lucy rolled her brown eyes. "The truth is that deep down, they like each other, but act like they don't. It's actually funny to watch."

"Here, Lu." Natsu appeared by their side, offering his fiancée a magazine.

"Thanks, Natsu." She smiled to the pink haired man who started to talk something she couldn't identify with Gray. He was wearing only red shorts and his scarf was wrapped on his head. "Juvia, if you want to sunbathe, there's a chair right next to mine."

"Sure. But first…" Juvia saw that Gray was leaving with Natsu and called him. "Gray-sama, you need to put some sunblock." Juvia said and Lucy called Natsu, telling him the same.

"Oh, come on." Gray whined but turned around and stepped closer to her as she opened her bag to fetch her sunblock. "I don't see why I need to put this stuff."

Juvia opened the container and put some on her hand. "You need it, so later tonight you won't be moaning in pain." She started to apply the product on his firm chest. Pleased to see that he took in a sharp breath when she touched him. "Well, not in pain."

"Juvia!" Gray blushed and she smiled to him.

"What? You thought the same."

"But I had the decency not to say it." Gray rolled his eyes with her childish play.

"Punish Juvia later." The invitation in her request was clear.

"Stop it." Gray whisper-yelled at her and Juvia had to bit down a laugh.

"With what?" She asked with all the innocence she could gather; but she knew he wasn't buying.

"The innuendo while you are touching me." He said and turned around so she could put the sunblock on his back and Juvia sighed in contentment when she touched the muscled there. The man sure had some shoulders. And his lower back… oh, how she loved those dimples just right above his ass –which was also prize winning material.

"Juvia is just putting sunblock on you, Gray-sama." She said.

"Sure." They stayed in silence until she finished with her back and then his face.

"Here you go, Gray-sama." Juvia smiled. "Now go have fun."

"Thanks, Juvia." He leaned and kissed her on the lips and then froze in place when he realized that he had done it in front of their friends. Gray retreated almost immediately. "Sorry, it was reflex."

"Juvia doesn't mind." The girl said with her cheeks rosy. Besides that first day they got together when he grabbed her in front of the guild and a few weeks before when Juvia had hyperventilated, Gray didn't show any kind of affection towards her. But he could be seen watching her from distance. Thankfully most of the girls were putting their own sunblock or putting on their friends and boyfriends to notice the small slip.

Gray was blushing when he turned around and yelled to Natsu, challenging him for a race until the water. Juvia sighed and went to sit by Lucy's side and enjoy the sunlight.

Later that night, after spending the day sunbathing and then sometime in the water with both Asuka and Gray, Juvia was getting ready to meet the other Guilds and their members.

"Gray-sama, is this dress alright?" Juvia asked to the man that was lying on the bed watching tv while she prepared herself. He was wearing a black tux, seeing that the reunion seemed to be very fancy, even when Juvia learned that by the end of it, they were all partying like always.

He shifted his gaze from the Television to see her standing away from him. Her dress reached a few inches over her knees (showing her amazing legs) and was deep blue with thick straps; the cleavage was low cut, it hugged Juvia's body like a glove. And her low bun just made her white neck look slightly longer. Juvia was wearing silver high heels, matching the earrings and the bracelet she was wearing. She also opted for a dark make up with light lip gloss on her lips.

"That's…" Gray cleared his throat. "You look nice."

"Really?" She asked, nervous.

"Yes." He got up from the bed, turning the TV off. "Now let's go. There's a game in a few hours and I very much want to see it." Juvia grabbed her silver hand-purse and both were in their merry way.

As it turned out, Juvia enjoyed the gathering. The people she met seemed like they were nice and once she caught Gajeel's eyes and both agreed: this place was harmless. He mouthed 'Are you okay?' to her and she nodded. Juvia watched he return his attentions back to Levy.

Juvia was in a conversation with Lucy, since Gray told her that he was going to search for someone he knew. After a few minutes, she saw a man look right into her and start to walk in her direction. Soon enough Gray was following him.

This man had white hair, small eyes and had about the same built as Gray. Juvia thought that he was handsome, but to as handsome as Gray, of course. He was speaking while walking towards her and Lucy.

"Who is this beautiful creature who has the most amazing smell?" He asked and stopped in the middle of the two women.

"That's Lucy. You know Lucy." Gray said, appearing by his side. But it was clear to Gray that the white haired man was not talking about Lucy, since he was staring intently at Juvia.

"Yes, hello, Lucy." The man didn't even shift his gaze from Juvia, who was starting to become uncomfortable. "I was actually talking about her." He licked her lips while staring at her head to toe. "Nice meeting you, I'm Lyon Vastia." The white haired man, Lyon, offered his hand and Juvia took it.

"Erm, Juvia Lockser." She said and looked to Gray, who had an annoyed expression, while Lyon kissed her hand.

"Oh, Juvia. Such a beautiful name." He smiled, still holding her hand.

"Lyon, let her go. She's not for you." Gray grabbed both Juvia's and Lyon's hand and separated them, putting himself in the middle of them.

"Are you marked, Juvia?" Lyon asked and when Juvia blushed and shook her head, his smile widened. "Well, she might be for me after all."

"Fuck off, Lyon." Gray said. "You always do that, ever since we were kids: always wanting attention. Grow up."

"Well, I would've gotten all the attention if someone hadn't appeared."

"You two know each other for long?" Juvia asked nicely and both turned their attention to her, looked at each other, just to stare back at the blunette.

"We were… raised together." Gray said carefully choosing his words.

"Like brothers?" She asked innocently.

"Oh, this should be fun." Juvia heard Lucy giggle as she watched the two men arguing.

"Acquaintances." Lyon said fast.

"Barely know him, actually." Gray agreed.

"Oh. I see." She didn't. "You two fight like that a lot?"

"Only when we see each other." Lyon clarified. "Which, thank the heavens, is not that often. But now that I know that Fairy Tail has been hiding you, I might drop by more often." He flashed a smile and Juvia blushed with the shameless flirtation.

"And we're leaving." Gray grabbed Lyon by his shoulders and pulled him away through the crowd.

"I'll find you later, Juvia-chan!" Lyon yelled and Juvia blushed even more.

"Well, it seems that someone has an effect on the Ur boys." Lucy was smiling widely. Juvia knew who Ur was, Gray mentioned her a few times; she was his foster mother. He said that he was raised with another boy, but she had no idea that she would meet him there.

Later that night Gray told her that he and the boys would watch the best parts of the game at the lobby but he would be in their room in no time. Juvia agreed and watched him go. She was grateful that he stayed by her side most of the night after he shooed Lyon away; he hated those fancy meetings.

Juvia saw Lucy go to her room and decided that she would too; she would just go to the bar for a moment before going up. What could possibly go wrong?

Ω

Juvia entered the bedroom she shared with Gray forty-five minutes later, breathing hard and her heart racing. Oh, that wasn't supposed to happen. She leaned on the door for long minutes before walking further into the room, taking her earrings and bracelet.

Gray didn't have to know what happened, because nothing happened; Juvia thought removing her bracelet and placing them next to the television. When she was freeing her hair from the bun, she heard the door open.

"Juvia?" Gray called, breathless and the woman turned around to look at him. "Oh, thank god you're here."

"What is it?" She frowned. It seemed that her Gray-sama had run to their room.

"I noticed that Lyon wasn't watching the game like he was when we started and I just got the feeling that I had to find you." He told her and watched as she laughed awkwardly. "Wait a second." He sniffed the air and stepped closer to Juvia.

Gray grabbed Juvia by the arm and spun her around to face him. She couldn't look straight at him, not after what happened.

"You stink like Lyon." Gray said; rage barely contained in his voice. "Why do you stink like him?"

"Lyon-sama was with Juvia up until a few minutes ago." The blunette shuddered and looked down. "He es-escorted her to her door."

"That wouldn't make his smell stay on you." Gray stared at the girl analyzing her, who bit her lower lip. "What. Did. You. Do?"

Juvia hesitated for a moment before mumbling. "He… kissed Juvia." The woman heard Gray growl in rage, let her go and start to walk around the room, from one side to another like a caged tiger. Alphas didn't like sharing and that was known by every mage in the world; so, seeing the utter anger in his expression, the blunette tried to calm him down. "B-B-But Juvia pushed him away, Gray-sama! He left after that."

"He kissed you, Juvia." Gray said, stopping for a moment before resuming his pace once again. "I told him you were not for him. I told him. I warned him." Gray stopped once again and stared at her. "And you. What were you doing with him? Wearing that dress?"

The blunette looked down to her blue night dress. "What's wrong with Juvia's dress? You liked earlier."

"Earlier I didn't know you would have Lyon after you! It barely covers…" Gray started but let it go. "Not important. What were you doing with him in the first place?"

"Juvia went to have a drink while you were watching the game with the boys, Gray-sama." Juvia frowned. "Lyon-sama found Juvia and we start to talk."

"What about?" He asked, still walking from one side to another.

"Life. Things. You." Juvia shrugged. "Juvia got tired after a while and she decided to come up. Lyon-sama offered to escort Juvia; when we arrived… He kissed Juvia." The Omega girl saw the man's face redden. "But it was quick."

"He lingered on the kiss." Gray narrowed his eyes. "Otherwise his smell wouldn't stay on you like this. It's on your dress. Did he touch you, Juvia?"

"What? No!" Juvia answered.

"Because if he did…" Gray left the threat in the air.

"No." She reassured him. "Just a kiss and nothing else. Juvia told him no, that she had you. He understood and left."

Gray scoffed. "He didn't understand. I know Lyon, I grew up with him. He won't give up on you. Not when you smell the way you do." Juvia frowned and the Alpha rolled his dark eyes. "He got hypnotized by your smell like I did when-"

"You did?"

"Of course I did. I didn't show it then, but you do smell very good." Gray dismissed her and the redness of his face got darker and Juvia wished that it was for embarrassment. "Anyway, if you do smell half as good to him as you do to me –and I know you do because I saw his face–, he's not done with you. He backed away from you today because he's not a guy to just take a woman against her will. He has his faults, but has his honor. He will be coming after you again."

"Juvia will explain that…" The woman stopped when Gray got closer to her, but didn't touch her like he would when they were alone. Instead he stared at her intently. He stared at her so much that made her uncomfortable, and that was seeing something: she loved when he stared at her with lust in his eyes, but this time… It was much more intense than ever. "…that Ju-Juvia has Gray-sama and..."

"No." Gray said; his voice low and raspy, sending shivers through the woman's spine.

"N-No?" She asked not entirely sure of why he didn't want to let her say that she had him. "'No' what?"

"You won't need to tell him anything." He said and Juvia looked up to meet her gaze with his. "Because he will know."

"Ho-How?" Juvia asked in a whisper.

Gray, then, gave another step and moved one hand to the back of her dress and slowly started to slide the zipper down, managing to do it without touching her skin. Juvia could feel his breath on her neck, since he had to lean a bit to undo the dress.

"You won't have to, because tonight I am going to have you so many times, I'm going to make you smell of me so hard and so much that Mages from three cities down will know that you are mine." Gray ghosted his lips on the juncture of her neck and shoulders. Juvia gasped with the sensation, his voice and his words; the whole combo. The man hadn't even touched her properly and she was already with her heart racing like crazy. "But I won't have you with his smell on. So," Gray held up his hand to push away one strap of her dress with a calm that Juvia knew he didn't have at the moment. "You are going to step in the bathroom with me, so I can wash up your whole body." She moaned quietly with the simple image of it. "Then, I will make you smell like me."

That was it; her knees were going to give in. He continued to undress her slowly, pushing the other strap of her dress down so the garment fell on the floor and since she didn't wear a bra that day, she stood in front of him in nothing but her black lacy panties and her high heels.

"Take everything off." Gray commanded her.

Juvia nodded and, without taking her eyes off of him, she started to take her panties off while he watched. The woman, then, leaned down so she could reach her high heels and undo them. Even though he looked like he was unaffected with her nakedness, it was hard to miss the bulge on his pants that was now leveled with her eyes.

The cold didn't bother her; she was too hot to feel anything else other than excitement. Juvia saw Gray start to undo the buttons of his own shirt while she took off her heels. His eyes bore on hers and too intense to compare to anything she ever saw in her life.

Once she was done, Juvia returned to her previous position, but now a few inches shorter than before. Staring at him, she waited for his next order; hot and excited. She liked this version of him; the primal man that wanted people to know she belonged to him.

"Get in the shower. I'll be right there with you." Gray pointed with his chin towards the general direction of the Hotel's bathroom.

Juvia nodded and walked inside, leaving the door opened; no use of hiding. Not that she wanted anyways; oh no. Gray was letting himself loose with her, he was claiming her to another male and that was all her dreams coming true. It meant that he saw her as more than a friend with benefits. Maybe this night could lead to something more.

She started the water and stepped in, letting the hotness of it relax her muscles a bit, but still excited about the night with Gray. They had been 'together' for almost four months, and even though everyone knew, neither he nor Juvia ever said something publically.

Were things about to change?

The blunette girl heard him come inside the bathroom and step inside the shower with her. Juvia was with her back towards him and was about to turn around, but he stopped her by putting his hands on her hips.

"The stink is vanishing a little." He murmured, leaning towards her, ghosting his lips on the juncture of her shoulders and bringing her close to his body. Juvia gasped with the contact of his whole body on hers. "But you still need to smell better."

"S-sure." Juvia said as she felt his hands leave her waist.

Looking over her shoulder, the girl could see him grab the body wash she had brought from home and pour some on his hand and then carefully put some on his other hand.

Juvia took in a sharp breath when he put his hand on her flat stomach and then started to rub the skin with the body wash. His hands were so good on her body; he was massaging her body with care and not only that, he seemed to be heading north, she noticed.

He massaged the right breast first, earning a moan from the girl; and then the left one.

"G-Gray-sama." Juvia breathed. That marvelous man was so good, her want for him only increasing at each caress, each squeeze, each pull, each pinch. Three months of sleeping together left him with experience about what could make her squirm and he was using that knowledge. When he twisted one of her nipples, being followed by the other in a moment, Juvia leaned even mover over his body.

The water falling over her over sensitive skin only adding to the sensations as Gray, the territorial little man he was being, left one of his hands down her body and, with the help of one of his knees, made Juvia open her legs. When he touched her sex, Juvia squealed.

"G-G-Gra…" She tried to say, but all she could do was feel how exciting it all was.

"Hm?" The Alpha hummed and continued his ministrations with his hands on her breast and her sex and kissing and biting her neck. One of his fingers easily easing into her while his thumb found the hood of the bundle of nerves, getting to move in a pattern that was driving her to be a crazy mess and when he added another finger inside, Juvia reached for Gray, both her hands mingled with his hair.

"Gray-s…" She gasped and almost fell onto the floor when he pinched both her nipple and her clit at the same time.

Juvia could feel his length on her butt cheeks; she could feel his hips move rhythmically with his fingers inside her and even though the man had wonderful hands, she very much preferred that he would be inside her in another fashion.

"Pl-please." The blue haired woman pleaded when she started to feel the inner walls of her sex start to contract around his fingers and a familiar fire start to brew in the lower of her stomach as his fingers started to move faster and faster. "Oh…"

She saw stars while her body arched and pleasure shot through her body, through her veins. Juvia could feel Gray's erratic breathing on her skin, the drops of water, but could only focus on feeling her high.

After a few moments, Juvia regained control of her legs and noticed that she didn't fall into the floor only because Gray had held her tight. Still feeling his legs weak, Juvia turned and kissed him on the lips.

She felt his erection pressed against her stomach. "Y you didn't…" Juvia looked down on his body where his length was still standing for attention. She tried to reach for it, but Gray grabbed her hands before she did. The girl looked up in question; she wanted to make him feel as good as he made her. "Juvia wants to…"

"Later." He growled, and turned the water off. "We're not done."

"Hm?" Juvia asked and felt him grab her hand as they stepped out of the shower. Gray found a towel and dried carelessly while she just stared at him in confusion. She saw him dry himself even more carelessly, throw the towel at a random place and once again take her hand, but this time they headed back to the bedroom.

Once they were back at the big room, Gray lost no time into throwing Juvia on the bed and covering his body with hers, capturing her lips with his own.

Juvia's mind was turning into jell-o with his ministrations that night. Gray, then, started to kiss his way down; her jaw, her neck –stopping there for a moment to give her a love bite-, her collarbone, her breasts, her stomach and finally her inner thighs.

"Gray-sama, what…?" Juvia asked. She thought they would have sex, after she'd make her come once, he was always eager to be inside her, she noticed.

"No talking." Gray bit her inner thigh and Juvia gasped in surprise.

"But…" Even Juvia had no idea what she was objecting of.

"No. Talking." He said and put his mouth on her sex, taking a slow lick, making her squirm. Soon enough there was nothing slow in the way he tasted her, like he was starving and she was the best sandwich in the world.

Soon enough, she was close to the peak once again. This time because of his mouth and fingers, but he didn't stop just yet. Juvia lost count of how many times he made her squirm and come. He worked on her sex while she was still high from an orgasm only to send her over the edge over and over again. Juvia's toes were curled, her back arched, her hands grasping the sheets while Gray worked his magic on her.

After shrieking like a banshee with her last orgasm, Juvia's breathing was in such speed that her lungs hurt a bit, but it wasn't unpleasant. She wasn't sure that she would feel unpleasantness ever again in her life. Not after having Gray licking and sucking her for so long.

She felt Gray kiss his way up on her body, spending a little more time on her breasts, and a boneless satisfied Juvia only stroke his hair and felt him accommodate himself on top of her. His hips easing on hers and Juvia could feel his erection pressing on her inner thigh. That was right, he hadn't come yet. She wanted to reciprocate, but she didn't think that she had the strength in her to help him.

"I… I can't, Gray-sama." Juvia whispered when she felt him kiss her neck and against her mind's will, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"You can." He kissed her and Juvia could taste herself on his tongue and that thought only made her want him more, even though she was deadly tired.

Gray moved his hips a little so the head of his penis was brushing on her entrance and, by instinct, Juvia thrust her hips up, and both moaned with the sensation. The alpha, then, entered her in one single merciless thrust that made Juvia arch her body up and cling herself even more into him.

And even though he let a groan of approval of being inside her hot and smooth center, Gray didn't stop to let her get used to him inside her; he started to thrust in and out of her, setting a merciless rhythm and Juvia matched it with movements from her own hips, creating a nice friction between then.

"Oh, Gray-sama." Juvia moaned, caressing his back. She loved his back; the defined muscles contracting and relaxing under her fingertips drove her mad. How did she get a man like that? So handsome, so hot even when he was cold? A man that was sweet even when he tried not to?

She loved him. It wasn't his smell, even though that was a very nice plus, it was him.

"You…" Gray panted on her ear and Juvia had to struggle to listen as much as he had to struggle to say. "Me."

Juvia would've said yes to anything at that point, the sensations he was giving her were so good, so brilliant. "Yes." She moaned. "Yes, you."

Before she could register what was happening, Juvia felt him lift her from the mattress and, with his weight; Gray rolled them over, so she was at the top. Juvia looked down to Gray about to ask him why he did that when she saw how he looked like.

He looked like sin.

The man was sin itself with his hair glued to his forehead, his cheeks with a pinkish color, eyes dark and glowing while watched her on top of him, the side of his neck with a reddish love bite she gave him; his hands on her hips while she stayed still for a heartbeat. The blunette girl knew that it was his show, even though she was on top and was more than happy to accomplish it.

Juvia started to rock her hips, their eyes locked while she raised herself just to lower herself on him again, trying to regain the friction they were producing a few minutes before.

While moaning his name, the Omega heard him humming his approval, Juvia picked her pace and leaned closer to him, putting a hand on his chest and then dragging her nails down, receiving a gasp from the Alfa.

"Fuck." Gray growled as his hips started to thrust up in a more desperate measure. "Fuck, Juvia." The man raised one hand to grab Juvia by the back of her head to kiss her.

To kiss like that should be a crime, the blunette girl wondered. How could he kiss her with such urgency, with such expertise, with such passion? Maybe he had that effect on her and her only, but she couldn't expect but to believe that he was made just for her and that no one else would make her feel that way.

As he explored her mouth tasting her, trying to drive her mad, she knew. And the mission was accomplished. Gray started to raise his body until he was seated, Juvia still moving up and down on his lap, her breasts touching his chest as they moved and hands now on his shoulders.

Soon enough, the fire was back to her veins, the lower of her stomach was getting the so known feeling once again, and for a moment, Juvia thought she couldn't take anymore. He had made her feel so much in so little time during that night.

"Gray-s… Oh, oh, oh this is too mu-much." Juvia said, her hands now converted into claws digging deep on the skin of his shoulders but her hips still moving in a desperate rhythm to get release.

"You are mine." Gray had his hands grabbing her butt cheeks as hard as he could and pulling her down onto him with more lust than before.

"Yes." Juvia moaned breathless.

"Mine." Gray reached for where their bodies joined and started to rub her clit, sending pleasure through her and.

"Yours." Juvia whispered before she felt it; she never felt anything like it before. It was foreign, it made her claw into him even more, and it made her want to bite him as hard as she could. It was something that was hidden deep inside her and that Gray released.

It was the dormant wolf inside her and it wanted her male marked as hers.

She could feel something happening with her teeth, but paid no attention. All she wanted to do was to bite him. Gray kissed once again, more desperate this time; he was close. When their lips parted, he whispered: "Let me bite you. I need to… Oh, fuck. I need to bite you, Juvia."

"Do it." His scent was driving her crazy, the pheromones making her drunk, not that she cared. All she cared was that he was going to bite her and she was going to bite him right back.

Gray once again turned them over, so Juvia's back was on the mattress. Gray put a hand under a knee and brought up to his shoulder as he pounded like crazy inside her over and over.

Her moans started to become higher pitched as her inner walls started to contract around him and by the way his thrusts were unsynchronized, Juvia knew he was about to lose control.

Suddenly, the desire of biting him was too much and somehow, she knew it was what she needed to go over the edge that time; so, she pulled him down and opened her mouth, sinking her teeth on the side of his neck at the same time she felt a sharp pain on the side of her own neck. The pain was long forgotten a second later, when pure pleasure shot through her and her mind blanked.

'Oh, that was some orgasm', Juvia thought while getting down of her high. She felt Gray's weight on her and smiled, caressing his back, feeling him still inside her and panting deeply. The knot would take a few minutes to subdue, but she didn't care about it. In fact, it was pleasurable for her as well, since her sex would contract to lead his seed deeper. Juvia felt the knot deep inside her and after four months of sleeping with Gray, she more than welcomed it; it brought him pleasure and to her too. Absent minded because of the amazing sex, she could feel his seed being shot inside her and the wolf inside her –apparently it woke up-, howled in delight for the opportunity to give him an offspring, even though Juvia knew she was on the pill.

Gray lifted himself from above her, and, without getting out of her, turned her so he could be lying down on the mattress; their bodies still touching as much as they could. He sniffed her and then kissed her forehead.

"You smell like me." Gray said proudly and Juvia giggled sleepily.

"Hard not to." She said to him and he laughed. The blunette, then, noticed the biting mark on his neck and frowned when she touched her own neck. "What was that, Gray-sama? Juvia never felt the urge to bite someone."

Gray realized what she was talking about and touched the bite mark of his neck. "I've heard about it. It's a temporary bond, I think. For a few days we'll share feelings, if I'm not mistaken." Then it was his turn to frown. "Why did we…?"

"It was stronger than Juvia." The blunette said and Gray nodded, but both forgot about the subject when Juvia's sex started to contract and he had a mini-orgasm; both wordless decided that talking could wait until the knotting was done in a few minutes.

When it was over, Gray exited himself from Juvia and went to the bathroom while Juvia sat on the bed, still with the post-coital glow and smiled widely touching her neck where Gray had bitten her.

"That was a nice first round."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't really think that that was it, right?"

"But…"

"I told you: every mage will know whom you belong to. Just give me a few minutes." Gray said while taking a bottle of water from the mini fridge and giving one to Juvia. "Drink; you'll need it."

Juvia took it, still looking surprised with him; she was the one who initiated most of the intimate contact and was pretty much never satisfied, and yet, it was a nice change for him to be the one insatiable.

Ω

The sun was coming up when Gray last came out from a knotting with Juvia. This time, her back was close to his chest and while they were knotting, he kissed her neck tenderly and caressed her thigh while she sighed happily. Surely he wouldn't want another go; he had kept her up for the whole night, kissing, biting, licking and grabbing. They needed some sleep.

She was closing her eyelids when she felt a kiss on her shoulder and her eyes shot open in a second: that was exactly how round three started.

"Juvia…" Gray's voice was silk for her ears, but it was not possible to Juvia to have another go. It was impossible.

"Gray-sama." Juvia turned around and put both of her hands on his cheeks, squeezing his face. "Please, please, please, let's go to sleep. Please. I love you, but I can't anymore." She whispered, eyes pleading. "Juvia is very tired." She didn't miss the irony that it was her who was asking for him to stop.

"I know, I am too." Gray smiled as much as he could with her hands on his cheeks. "I was going to ask you to go a little to the left so I can cover us."

"Oh." She let go of his cheeks and went to the left, blushing when he laughed. Gladly he seemed to disregard the 'I love you' part that just slipped from her mouth. It wasn't how she wanted to tell him about her feeling.

Gray put the covers on top of her and then pulled her close to him and Juvia happily complied, putting her head on his chest, his arms around her and soon enough, both were sleeping, happy to be together.

Ω

When they finally left their room in the other day, it was already lunchtime. Juvia had to put some make-up to hide the bite mark on her neck plus a t-shirt that covered her cleavage enough to hide the love bites Gray left her with.

When they reached the lobby of the hotel, one of the first people they saw was, of course, Lyon, looking straight at Juvia.

"Good afternoon, Juvia."

"Yeah, just ignore me, why not?" Gray said.

"And it's me who craves attention, Gray?" Lyon snickered and the dark haired man groaned. Lyon, then, stared at Juvia for a moment and then frowned, sniffing the air lightly. Realization washed over him as he looked from Gray (who looked like he just won the lottery) to Juvia (who was so red in the face that she could easily be mistaken by a tomato). "I see." He chuckled. "I thought it was some kind of platonic relationship, I guess I was wrong. But you are not marked, though. I still have a chance." Gray let out a sound that was very similar to a snarl. Lyon laughed and raised his hands in surrender. "Very well then. Me no touchie. You don't need to look so smug, you bastard." He smirked and looked at Juvia. "But when the six months are over and you want to be with a real man, Juvia-chan, come and find me."

"Just fuck off, stupid." Gray grabbed Juvia's hand and both started to go towards the restaurant while Gray still cussed Lyon under his breath. "Stupid. Don't know when to give up. Gonna kill 'im."

"Gray-sama?" Juvia called when both stopped in front of the restaurant.

"Well, there's a good thing: you smell like me, and unless that stupid have some weird fetish, he won't kiss you." Gray shrugged and let go of her hand. "Now let's grab something to eat." Juvia nodded and they were about to get in when Gray stopped her. "Oh, by the way, do you mind staying here an extra day?"

"Of course not. Why?" The blue haired girl asked, confused.

"Would you like to? You don't work on Mondays and I told my boss that this this would last until Tuesday. We could stay another day." Gray said.

"Really?" Juvia asked excited, and barely containing her happiness.

"Sure." Gray shrugged.

"Yes!" Juvia wrapped her arms around his shoulders and started to kiss him all over his face with clear joy. "Oh, Gray-sama, thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes. "I personally think that this is the temporary bond's work."

"It doesn't matter!" The Omega girl kissed him on the lips. "We'll be staying another day! Juvia wants to try the pool!"

"Now tell me: how are you going to wear a bikini with that bite mark I left on your inner thigh?" Gray whispered and Juvia blushed. She forgot about that and to tell the truth, that was not the only mark she had on her.

And she loved to know that she was his, at least for the moment.

Ω

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little relationship development. And I feel like I am distracting you guys from the crappy plot with the sex (that was much smaller than the previously one). One more time: it's Juvia we're talking about here: A touch from Gray and she would be goo on the floor and we all know it. LOL


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is BonneyQ and I am bringing in the drama!

When the knot loosed itself and Gray removed himself from Juvia, both still hugged each other, as tightly as they could. Juvia had her head right under his chin and squeezed her eyes while breathing his scent, their scent together.  
  
She raised her head a little bit and saw the bedside clock marked: 00:31.  
  
It was over.  
  
Gathering all strength she could, Juvia let go of him and got up from the bed, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. The woman heard him call her, but didn’t stop: located her clothes as fast as she could and locked herself in his bathroom.  
  
Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, Juvia took time to clean herself between her thighs and then put back on the clothes she arrived with earlier that day; blue tights and a strapless light pink t-shirt; and then looked in the mirror.  
  
Her hair was a mess, but what was even messier was Juvia herself. Bags under her eyes, paler than usual and she even lost a few pounds – she was too worried about the bonding to eat much anyway. Her whole body was sore and many purple spots could be found all over; she could even locate one right under her collarbone and other on her neck. The worst part, though, was the empty look she had at that moment.  
  
The six months were over for them and neither was marked.  
  
Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockser were not mates.  
  
She felt an urge to cry, but wouldn’t, not there where he could smell her tears. No, she would go home. There was nothing else she was needed for in his place; it was over.  
  
After tidying her looks the best she could, the omega girl came out of the bathroom, Gray was already gone from the bedroom, but she was sure he was still inside the apartment. Locating her bag, Juvia found her cellphone and quickly called a taxi service she knew and then, after gathering all of her things, went to face the dark haired man.  
  
Gray was sitting on the couch – the same couch they played video-games, watched movies and made out on –, only wearing boxers, his elbows on his knees while he hid his face on his hands. His back was towards her and she could see the marks she left on him with her nails; apparently she was not the only one marked that way.  
  
Too bad that was the only way they were able to mark each other.  
  
“We’ve been trying, haven’t we?” Gray asked, his voice nothing more than a whisper, but Juvia heard him. Still with her bag in hands she looked away from him, towards the big glass door that lead to a balcony. Yes, they had been trying for the past two weeks. They would have sex whenever they got together, whenever there was time. It wasn’t like before: when they could lay beside each other after said activity and talk, laugh and then maybe start over again or even just fall asleep.  
  
No; their encounters became rough, needing. Desperate. And each time the mark didn’t appear, a feeling of frustration and emptiness would fill them and as soon as it was ‘magely’ possible, Gray was inside her over and over again until their strength was drained.  
  
They’ve been trying.  
  
“That first night you said you didn’t want a mate, Gray-sama.” Juvia said, trying to sound happy about it. “Now it’s a sure thing you don’t. Not with me.”  
  
The blue haired woman knew he noticed the fake tone, because he removed his head from its position and looked over his shoulder. “You said it too and I can see that tonight, the fact we didn’t mark each other is crushing you. I could see it in your eyes back when we were having sex and I can see it now.”  
  
Juvia closed her eyes and took two breaths so she could keep the tears from falling. “Let’s… let’s not talk about this right now. Please.”  
  
“Juvia…” Gray got up from the couch and walked until he was close to her. “I… I didn’t mean to hurt you.”  
  
“I know.” The girl opened her eyes and was sure he could see them glowing with unshed tears; but even so, she opened a big smile. “Don’t worry. Just a silly woman being silly.” He opened his mouth to say something, but the intercom went off. “That should be Juvia’s taxi.” The blunette went to answer the intercom and told Fred, the doorman that she would be downstairs in a moment. “Well, Juvia is going, then.” She said in her fake-happy voice once again.  
  
“You don’t have to go. It’s almost one a.m. and we have to…”  
  
“No. Juvia has to go, because this silly woman is about to get real silly and she doesn’t want to do it in front of you.” Juvia said with a trembling voice, not able to keep it straight anymore. “We both agreed that we weren’t looking for mates and Juvia shouldn’t be disappointed that it didn’t happen, but she is and it hurts.” He opened his mouth to talk, but she raised a hand to keep him from it. “We’ve been trying, yes, it’s only natural for Mages, but for Juvia… this is…” Her voice broke and she could feel a stray tear fall. “For Juvia this is more than just instinct. I really believe it was you. So, please, let Juvia go lick her wounds.”  
  
“I thought it was you too.” Gray mumbled and Juvia saw the honesty in his tired dark eyes and that broke her heart more than it was already broken.  
  
“See you at the wedding, Gray-sama.” Juvia whispered and was took a step towards him to kiss his lips, like she always did when they left each other, but stopped midway. It was not her place to do that anymore. The blunette couldn’t stare at him, couldn’t look into his eyes; so, she just turned around and left the apartment.  
  
When she entered the taxi, she was only able to say her address to the driver before falling into tears.  
  
“Are you alright miss?” The cabbie asked, concerned and she thought it was sweet.  
  
“No.” She tried to dry the tears away, but the more she tried, more appeared.  
  
“Fought with a boyfriend, maybe?” The cabbie asked; he was a middle aged man with gray-turning-white hair. “Don’t worry sweetie. You will find someone else if the worst scenario happens.” As the words left the man’s mouth, Juvia cried even harder,  
  
‘No, I won’t’ Juvia thought, knowing that she would never go through that again. ‘It’s Gray-sama or no one else.’  
  
Apparently, it was going to be no one else.  
  
Ω  
  
That night, the last day of the six months, Juvia took a shower as soon as she arrived at home, trying to scrub Gray’s scent away from her; when she realized that she couldn’t and didn’t want to, she found herself on the bathroom floor, crying her eyes out until the water turned cold and she didn’t have more tears to shed at the moment.  
  
But she needed someone, and the girls would ask too many questions and besides, Juvia wanted her best friend.  
  
Gajeel was at Levy’s again that night, so she waited for a decent hour to call. She stared at the ceiling, lost in the memory of Gray, his eyes, his mouth, his smile, his scent. Without shedding tears, just enjoying memory of the months she had with him, the way he made her feel.  
  
But then, her heart started to hurt all over again and she couldn’t take it anymore. As soon as the first morning lights were out, she called him.  
  
“What?” His voice was rough from sleep, he still had two more hours to rest before going to work and he hated to be woken up. Juvia immediately felt even worse.  
  
“Ga-Gajeel-kun?” Juvia asked, her voice cracking and tears beginning to fall again.  
  
“Juvia?” The man asked, now full awake. “Are you crying? What’s wrong?”  
  
“Please, come over.” The blunette asked with a tiny voice.  
  
“Where are you?” He asked and Juvia could hear him move around, probably searching for clothes.  
  
“At my apartment.”  
  
“What happened? Are you hurt?” Gajeel wanted to know, and Juvia sobbed.  
  
“Just inside.”  
  
“Wha…?” Juvia could almost see the confused face of her friend and if she wasn’t feeling so bad, it would be funny.  
  
“Just come. Please.” She whispered and he said that he would be there as fast as he could.  
  
Juvia was sure he would tell her she was stupid, that he thought Jose’s men had found them or something dangerous; not some girly crap – as he would put it –, but when he arrived, worry evident in his expression, Juvia threw her arms around him and cried.  
  
He stood awkwardly for a few minutes, patting her in the back and when she finally told him what happened, Gajeel relaxed his body and to her surprise, he didn’t say anything bad. On the contrary, he led her back to her bed. Once the girl was on comfortably set, he sat beside her, arms crossed over his chest.  
  
And without say a word, he stayed until he had to go to work. He assured her he would return as soon as he was finished; Levy was staying at Lucy’s because she was the maid of honor either way.  
  
Juvia thanked him and didn’t move much, just called her boss and told her she had the flu, cried and cried up until he returned, bringing some take out. The blunette took a shower and then watched as he ate, since her stomach didn’t seem to settle. Gajeel noticed, but once again said nothing. They watched some crappy movie and when it was around midnight, he told her he would be across the hall if she needed anything.  
  
She nodded and thanked him, but spent the night crying all over again.  
  
Why was fate so cruel with her? Why would it make her fall in love, have hope and then take it all away? What kind of cruelty Life wanted her to experience? Hadn’t she have enough already?  
  
Why, when she found her light, she was pulled into darkness once more?  
  
That night, as she cried, the sky cried with her. Juvia always hated the always present rain in her life, unlike her mother, but that night, her old friend was more than welcomed to make her company.  
  
In the morning, Gajeel made her eat a few crackers before going to work. He called Levy and told her Juvia had a stomach bug and couldn’t pick the dress, but he would do it and would also make sure that she was fine enough to go to the wedding.  
  
Juvia knew Levy didn’t completely believed it, but let it go. Gajeel and Juvia were an odd pair.  
  
“He looks like crap too.” Gajeel said casually as he ate the take out meant from Juvia, the one she didn’t eat again and Juvia froze on her way to the bathroom. “I saw him when I went to pick my clothes for tomorrow. He says that he has stomach flu, and since you two were so close, they are buying it.” His red eyes scanned her back, she could feel. “If you don’t feel like facing him tomorrow…”  
  
“It’s alright.” The girl said. “Juvia gave herself two days to feel bad. Tomorrow we will walk down the aisle together and it’ll be fine during the wedding. After, I might fall all over again, but tomorrow Juvia will hold it together.”  
  
“That’s what I am worried: the after.” Her friend said.  
  
“Juvia is strong, this will pass.” She threw him a fake smile and went to shower. Juvia knew he heard her crying; she knew he hated it and she knew he couldn’t help her like he did seven – almost eight now – years before.  
  
Why did it hurt more to have her heart broken, than her body?  
  
Ω  
  
The wedding of Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia took place two days after the six months between Juvia and Gray ended, and she, much to her surprise, was one of the bridesmaids. Her dress, like the other girls’ was in a light blue shade, but when she put it on at the ceremony day, it was a little too loose, since she was barely eating for almost two weeks, but it wasn’t an ugly fit.  
  
Juvia had spent the two whole days crying, curled in her bed. She could’ve called some of her new girlfriends, but they were so excited about the wedding that she didn’t want to rain in everyone’s parade. Instead, she called and told them she had something bad to eat and was going to stay in bed so she could be fresh as new for the wedding and Gajeel assured everyone that he would take care of her, since he hated all the wedding crap happening around him.  
  
True to her word, Juvia put on the happy façade and went to her hair appointment, meeting her friends, chatting and laughing. One time she caught Levy staring at her, but as soon as it started, it ended. She knew something was wrong but chose to let Juvia alone for the moment, in which the swimming teacher was grateful for: it was hard enough to look happy when she was falling into pieces inside without people seeing through the mask.  
  
Her hair ended up being pulled up in a loose bun, her bangs in the same way, but strays of her hair were loose; her hairdresser told her that it was nice, brought up Juvia’s neck and showed more of the whiteness of her skin – one of Gray’s last hickeys was almost fading, but to be sure it wouldn’t appear, there was some makeup applied.  
  
She looked like a princess, Juvia decided once she saw herself into the mirror. Lucy was kind enough to not make the bridesmaids wear some horrid dress: they were tight on the upper part of it, but then loose and a little puffy (sparkly too). Juvia’s makeup was light enough to bring out her blue eyes and just a light pink lipstick and a little blush were needed.  
  
The hard part was to see him.  
  
When the girls arrived at the church, the boys were already there and they could really fill in the tuxes, all of them. But her Gray-sama, oh, he was a vision. No. Not ‘her Gray-sama’. Not anymore. But, trying to be in character, Juvia smiled brightly at him and went to stand by the man’s side.  
  
Gajeel had been right, Gray had bags under his eyes, just like her and when she saw her smile at him, the man frowned.  
  
“Hi, Gray-sama!” She kissed him in the cheek, lingering more than she should just so she could feel his skin again; smell him close to her once more. “Ready to walk Juvia down the aisle?” Juvia said with innuendo and a wink. The people who heard it, laughed.  
  
“Yeah, sure.” He said warily and it probably was weird for him to have her almost breaking in front of him not even two days before and then, there she was: laughing, joking and sparkling.  
  
“We the second pair to get in, right?” Juvia asked, tidying her dress (even though it wasn’t necessary: she just needed something to do). Levy would enter first with Gajeel, since she was the maid of honor, then Gray, the best man, with Juvia; followed by Erza and her boyfriend Jellal, Mirajane and Freed, Laxus and Cana, Bixlow and Lisanna, Elfman and Evergreen.  
  
“Lucy arrived! Come on, guys. Two minutes!” Levy said excited, putting her cellphone inside her hand purse, as each person searched for his or her pair and went in line.  
  
Gray and Juvia stood behind Gajeel (who combed his hair, Juvia needed to take a picture of that) and Levy, waiting for their cue to get inside.  
  
“You look beautiful.” Gray’s voice was hesitant, as if he didn’t know what to say to her, and made Juvia feel goose-bumps all over, especially since he touched the side of her neck to move a strand of hair away and all the blunette wanted to do was to lean towards his touch and forget the past few days.  
  
“Please, don’t do this.” Juvia’s smile disappeared as she moved away from his touch, even though she didn’t want to. “I am trying very hard to hold it together, so, please.”  
  
“Sorry.” He took a step away from her and looked down to the floor, but she sighed and intertwined their arms like they were supposed to be, pulling him close. Gray looked at her in question.  
  
“Let’s do our parts right, Gray-sama.” She, then, put the smile back on her lips as soon as she heard music play and the door to let them in open. The couple strode in, side by side, wearing smiles and, as many would say, they looked beautiful together.  
  
They looked beautiful just because no one saw what they were feeling.  
  
Ω  
  
The ceremony was beautiful and Juvia would always remember the bright smiled both groom and bride shared as they were bonded in the human way. Many Mage couples chose not to do it, but it was a beautiful event.  
  
Once in a while, Juvia’s eyes would wander to where Gray stood and each time his eyes would meet hers, just before she move them away. She just had to go through that day.  
  
When it was over, everyone went to the party site, which was just by the side of the small church Lucy chose to get married. And then there were countless photographs from all angles with everyone, just the couples – Lucy thought it would be romantic – and even though Juvia was sure her shot with Gray would turn up to be beautiful, it was difficult to let him hold her and then smile to the camera when she felt the way she did.  
  
Once the photographer cleared the blunette and Gray, she walked away as soon as possible. She needed to breathe something that wasn’t him. She needed to see something other than his gorgeous eyes. She needed show what she was feeling without the fear of him seeing her.  
  
The omega found a hidden garden (that wouldn’t be so hidden as soon as a few couples had something to drink and wanted to get heavy with one another) with beautiful and high rose bushes. She sat on a bench and smelled the sweet aroma. Her favorite flowers were sunflowers, but roses had their charms as well.  
  
“What’s wrong, Juvia-chan?” Said woman turned around, startled to hear someone in her recluse place outside the party side; it was Master Makarov.  
  
“Oh, hi Master.” She smiled. “Nothing is wrong.”  
  
“Don’t you even think you can lie to me, child.” The old man smiled kindly, sitting beside her. “I knew that you were miserable as soon as I saw you today. Gray is acting the same way.” Juvia looked down. “Did you two have a fight?”  
  
There was no denying it that they had at least a sexual relationship, and since it was the Guild’s Master, she decided to tell him the truth. “The six months are over. We were not marked.”  
  
His eyebrows were raised immediately. “That’s surprising. You two are so connected… I thought…”  
  
“Yeah, me too.” Juvia laughed between tears. “And now, we don’t know what to do.”  
  
“Do you still want to stay with him even though you are not marked?” Makarov asked a few moments later. Juvia turned to stare at the old man.  
  
“More than anything.”  
  
“Then why don’t you fight?” Master asked, confused.  
  
“He is it for Juvia: she is as sure as she can be. But, Juvia’s not it for him.” Juvia sobbed, tears falling freely as she finally let her feelings out. “There’s a woman out there, waiting for him to mark her, waiting to be happy with her mate. It hurts, it pains me to know that I am not that woman, but it pains me even more to know that if Juvia tries to stay with Gray-sama, she will be robbing someone else’s happiness. She’ll be robbing Gray-sama’s true happiness. And Juvia wants him to be happy.”  
  
“And since when do I let you decide my life for me like this?” Juvia raised her head with the known voice. She was so concentrated in telling Makarov about her feelings, the roses’ fragrances, that she failed to notice Gray’s smell. And by the looks of it, he was furious. As he stepped inside the Not-So-Secret-Anymore garden, Juvia got up from the bench and stared at him in surprise.  
  
“Gray-sama…” Juvia was about to say something when Makarov stood on the bench and cleared his throat, making both young people look at him.  
  
“Let me tell you a story before you two talk.” The old man cleared his throat as soon as he had their attention. “It’s about a couple who never got marked.”  
  
“Master…” Gray sighed in frustration, but with a hard stare from the old man, he stopped.  
  
“They met when both were twenty. He smelled her during a fair: no other smell was ever so sweet or perfect the way hers was; and in that moment, he was sure that he found his mate. He knew that that girl was going to be his.” Makarov said, looking from the blunette to the young man. “And she felt it too, and for six months they tried and tried, but didn’t get marked.” Gray’s onyx’s eyes snapped to Juvia and the girl’s own cerulean ones moved to stare at him. “They had a crisis, just like yours. But in the end, they decided that no goddess would say that it was wrong for them to be together: they didn’t feel it was wrong to be together, they felt it was meant to be.  
  
“They stayed together for forty years, some good, some bad, but stayed together and up until the day she died, they never had a doubt that they were meant to be. They had a son after a few years, and even a grandson after that.” Makarov took Juvia’s hand and then Gray’s, putting them together. “You tried until the very last moment because you knew that there is something more; while others would just get bored after three months, you two stick together and that’s rare.” Juvia tried to take away her hand, but Makarov insisted on locking hers and Gray’s together. “Don’t be afraid of hurting someone else, Juvia-chan. If you two decide to be together, that’s the right thing to do for both.” He released the hands, now Gray was holding it tight, still staring at the blue haired woman. Makarov went down from the bench and was walking away, to let them talk when Gray asked, without taking his eyes off of Juvia.  
  
“Is the story true, Master?”  
  
“Laxus is the real proof of the couple’s existence, my boy.” Makarov smiled as the young woman and man looked utterly surprised and then left.  
  
Juvia removed her hands from his delicately and looked down; an awkward silence fell between them. What would they do? What was the better option: stay together or to break up whatever they had? What would pain the least?  
  
“Is it over for you?” Gray asked and Juvia looked up, unshed tears making her eyes glow, she was sure. “You and me: do you feel like it’s supposed to be over?”  
  
She could lie, she should tell him a lie instead of prolonging her pain, because one day, he would get tired of her, one day he would leave.  
  
“Six months ago you said that…”  
  
“I am asking now if you think it is over. I was another person six months ago.” Gray stepped closer to her, grabbing Juvia’s waist with a hand and the back of her neck with the other, brushing their noses together as Juvia melted into his arms. “Six months ago I had no idea I would want to have you around this much. Six months ago I had no idea that I would feel frustrated when we didn’t get marked.” Gray kissed her lips forcibly and the blunette wrapped her arms around his waist, as hard as she could. Juvia could feel the tears fall, while they kissed, she could feel that he missed her too. “Six months ago I didn’t know, Juvia.” He said, resting his forehead on hers, a hand still firmly on the back of her neck. “I don’t feel like this is over, whatever this is.”  
  
“Me too.” Juvia whispered, releasing his waist and moving her hands so they could grab his face to yet another deep kiss, trying to make him understand how hurt she was about their time apart. “I don’t think it’s over. It’ll never be over to Juvia.”  
  
“Then why did we have those two hellish days? Are we stupid?” Gray groaned, but at the same time let go of the back of her neck just to brush a few tears away. “Why didn’t we just keep going?”  
  
“Maybe deep down we had expectations.” Juvia kissed him again and he complied happily. She couldn’t really understand what was happening, but apparently things were going to be fine and the woman just wanted to stay by his side.  
  
“Fuck the expectations.” Gray kissed her again and again. “I mark you as mine every time we are together. Do you need a mark from a bored goddess?”  
  
“No. Juvia just needs you, Gray-sama.” The blunette wrapped her arms around his neck, crossing them behind it. “If she has you, it’s perfect. She thought… she thought you would…”  
  
“I told you one time: if I think you are bothering me anyhow, I would tell you.” Gray smiled and she couldn’t help it but to smile back. “I did tell you about your snoring.”  
  
“Juvia had the flu and couldn’t breathe right!” The blunette laughed throwing her head back, feeling hot tears fall from her eyes, but unlikely the ones she spend two whole days shedding, those were of relief and a happiness she never thought she could have. Oh, she was so happy that could find any reason to just let it out: be in a giggle, laughter or tears.  
  
The world was right again.  
  
“That’s what you say. I am the one who has to sleep right next a snoring woman.” Gray said, his arms around her waist as he rested his head on the crook of her neck, taking a deep breath. “It’s been two days and I missed your smell so much.” The Alpha said while his hands caressed her sides.  
  
“Yes.” Juvia petted his hair in a slow motion, enjoying his body so close to hers once again.  
  
They didn’t know how long both stayed that way, but when they finally heard a few people walking down the garden, the couple decided to return to the party. It was clearly obvious by then that something big happened between them, neither would have to say a word as soon as they entered the ballroom: the smiled would be enough to assure their friends that they were fine once again.  
  
They didn’t hold hands, they (he, actually) didn’t like to show how much he cared, they didn’t get too touchy with one another in public, but what mattered was that they treated each other in private and neither could complain about the other.  
  
It was their own way of showing affection. An affection that was slowly turning into something deeper than they thought it would.  
  
Ω  
  
After the wedding was done and the bride and groom were off to their honeymoon, Gray and Juvia said their good byes and left as well. Juvia took a moment to hug Gajeel, kiss him on the cheek and thank him, saying that she would tell him everything about what happened later, before leaving with the man of her life.  
  
Gray drove them to his apartment and Juvia didn’t mind going there instead of her own; she just wanted to get reassured that it was real and she was not daydreaming while still in her bed, feeling miserably.  
  
The moment she entered the apartment, Juvia noticed that his pillows and the thin sheet he used for sleeping were set on the couch. Frowning, she looked over her shoulder while he closed the door. Once he saw her confused expression and then looked to the couch, Juvia swore that she saw his cheeks become pinker.  
  
“Your smell was too strong in the bedroom. It’s not like I did much sleep anyways.” He mumbled and the Omega felt the urge to cry once again with her sweet tsundere, but instead, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him the hardest she could.  
  
“Thank you.” She whispered as she felt his arms around her waist once more, bringing her close to his body.  
  
“What for?” He wandered.  
  
“Don’t know.” And as Juvia was about to kiss him, her stomach made itself heard and she blushed deeply. Gray blinked twice before bursting into laughter. “Oh, god.” The blunette let him go and was about to find somewhere to hide, before she felt him grab her wrist, still laughing.  
  
“Don’t be like that.”  
  
“This is embarrassing.” She tried to hide her face, but Gray seemed to find amusing the fact that she was dying from embarrassment. He managed to bring him close to his chest once again.  
  
“I am your man, Juvia. My instincts are: to mate with you, take care of you, feed you and get you pregnant.” Her eyebrows were raised. “Three out of four, for tonight, is not that bad.” Gray kissed her cheek before releasing the blunette and grabbed his phone. “Lucky for you, I am an expert in calling for food delivery.”  
  
“Lucky Juvia.” She laughed and leaned so she could take her heels off. It was so nice to feel herself again, to feel like she could take the world, to feel like they were meant to be.  
  
While Juvia hear him ask for a big pizza, she walked towards the bedroom.  
  
Gray was right: it did still smelled like her scent, no, their scent and if she was the one trapped inside that apartment for the two days they stayed apart, she would’ve gone insane. Since she already knew where everything was in his house, she started to gather the dirty laundry, putting a fresh set of sheets on his king size bed.  
  
“You didn’t have to do that.” Gray said, leaning on the doorframe, wearing only the dressy shirt he wore underneath the tuxedo.  
  
“Juvia doesn’t mind.” She shrugged and finished with the bed and was about to start with one of the two pillows – the other two were still at the couch –, when Juvia saw him grab one of the pillowcases and hold it in place for her, just like they did many times during their six months together.  
  
The blunette smiled at the normalcy of the act, almost forgetting about the crisis their relationship went through.  
  
Once they did it with the other pillow, Juvia was tidying the bed, when she felt his arms come from behind her and wrap themselves on her waist; his face buried in her hair in no time. The girl relaxed her body, leaning over his.  
  
“Come on.” He whispered in her ear after a few moments. “Let’s take a shower.” The Omega nodded and let him lead them towards the bathroom.  
  
They took a shower together, laughing when bumped into each other as they tried to clean themselves and there were a few kisses and touches, but neither went further than that; too tired to do anything else.  
  
Gray lent Juvia a shirt and boxers so she could have something to wear while in his apartment. They cuddled in the sofa until their pizza arrived. As they ate with their bare hands – she sitting on his kitchen’s counter, while he stood in his boxers in front of her –, the couple talked about the wedding, about Lucy’s snob cousins and the invitees from her father’s part. As hungry as they were, the pizza was gone in no time.  
  
They brushed their teeth – she was happy to know that he didn’t get rid of her toothbrush –, and Gray went ahead to the bedroom while she used the bathroom. Not too long after he left, she was already going to the bedroom after him.  
  
Gray was already on his side of the bed, the lights of the room off, only his bedside one on. The two other pillows already there with fresh pillowcases, but Juvia knew she wouldn’t be using them; she wanted to sleep closer to him than it was possible.  
  
Looking down to her – his, actually – clothes to see if she was fit to sleep by his side (that man liked to wear just his underwear inside his apartment), she noticed which shirt he lent her and giggled.  
  
“What’s funny?” He asked, looking in her direction.  
  
“You wore this shirt the first night we were together. It’s just a big coincidence that when we are starting over… No, nothing; it’s silly.” The blunette joined him in the bed, under the covers, resting her head on his chest. She heard the soft beating of his heart and loved to be in their bed once more; a place she never thought would see again much less sleep next to him.  
  
Gray placed a hand on her waist, under the shirt as his thumb massaged her hip.  
  
“What exactly are we now, Gray-sama?” Juvia asked quietly, even though she didn’t want to burst her bubble of happiness.  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“We are not trying to be mated anymore.” She moved so her chin could be resting on his chest. “What do we call each other? Are we just Gray and Juvia sleeping together again?” And if it was his choice to be just that, the woman would gladly be it. Many women would be offended, but not her. Juvia just wanted to have him close.  
  
“I think we are… in a closed relationship now.” Gray said after a few moments of deep thought. “I mean it in the closed part, Juvia. We are not marked so other people’s smell can still be appealing, but…” His onyx’s eyes locked on hers. “We decided to be together, right?”  
  
“Yes.” She smiled, and caressed his upper body with tenderness, right before smile playfully. “Does that mean we are dating? Like humans do?”  
  
He blushed, that time she was certain. “You could say that. If humans can do it, we can too.” Gray stopped for a moment. “It must be so messy to find someone right when you are human. How can you know that the person is right if they don’t smell each other?”  
  
“Humans talk.”  
  
“We talk.” Gray stared at her in confusion.  
  
“After having sex.” The woman giggled. “Usually the talking, the knowing each other better happens before the sleeping together.”  
  
“Then how do they know it’s worth it to do all the talking?” The Alpha was really confused. Juvia knew that most of his life was spent around other mages and so did she; if Juvia hadn’t bought the many magazines about relationships she had bought since when she got together with Gray, she wouldn’t know much about human mating.  
  
“They just do.” She shrugged and, playfully, asked. “Does that mean you are willing to take Juvia on dates so we can talk and know each other better?”  
  
Gray frowned lightly and the Omega could see that he was actually considering that option. She opened her mouth to tell him that she was joking, when his voice interrupted her. “There’s a lot I don’t know about you and if we are knotting all the time it’s difficult to talk.”  
  
“Juvia was jok…”  
  
“No, let’s do this.” He shrugged. “We are already doing this as humans, what else we have to lose? Let’s to the dating thing. Natsu dated Lucy even after she was marked. If he can do it, so can I.”  
  
The blunette was not expecting that. Did he even know what was getting himself into? When she asked him exactly that, he said that he did. Since she was already in deep, she decided to tell him the down part of their new arrangement: “You do know that there’s no sex until the third date, right?”  
  
“What?” His voice hit an octave with that and Juvia laughed a little bid.  
  
“That’s an unspoken rule between human women.” Or so she read in her magazines. “To not put out too soon and all that.”  
  
“You do remember that we’ve been fucking each other’s brains out for six months, right?” The Alpha asked, just to make sure she remembered.  
  
“Yeap.” She popped the ‘p’ and Gray groaned when saw the biggest grin on her face.  
  
“Fine. Fine.” He said, now suddenly very grumpy. “I should’ve grabbed you in the shower.” He mumbled, like a five year old who didn’t get his way and Juvia had to bite her lower lip to hold her laughter. “What will we do, then?”  
  
“Well…” She rested her head above his chest once more. “Kissing is allowed, I guess. You’ll get tired of just kissing for a couple of weeks, though.”  
  
“Whoa, whoa. Weeks?” Gray sounded a little too desperate there. “No one said anything about weeks without sex.”  
  
“Juvia always thought that she would be the one arguing over lack over sex first than you.” She giggled. “What did you think ‘dating’ was?”  
  
“Taking you to eat outside three days in a row.” He replied in a heartbeat but when saw her hopeful eyes. “Fine. No sex for weeks and lots of talking. Why do I feel like I’ve been tricked?” Juvia laughed and they stayed in silence for a few moments before she spoke.  
  
“If you want, Juvia can arrange the dates. It’s not really your thing to…”  
  
“The guy is supposed to plan it, right?” The Alpha asked and the woman nodded. “I am going to be a little sexist and say that I’ll do it because it’s my duty.”  
  
“It’s fine if we don’t do it, you know.” The blunette said carefully, being a little insecure once again.  
  
“Juvia?” He cut her off as he turned the light from the bedside lamp off.  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“Shut up.”  
  
Juvia nodded and kissed his lips lightly before returning to her position and feel sleep take over her and she just knew that she would have the best sleep she had in months, because for once she was sure that things were as perfect as they could be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a little more development. I know: no sexy times; that’s because I wanted to approach the deeper side of their relationship: that they don’t need the mark; they want to stay together because they feel it is right. And sorry about the OOCness, this was a very dramatic/romantic chapter, so, sorry.  
> And sorry about the shorter-than-the-others (half the size :/) chapter! I’ll try to make it up to you in the next one, because the next is the dating! My babies are growing up so fast!  
> By the way two or three more chapters to go! :(  
> How about leaving a review and tell me what you think? :D  
> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like this one! I am receiving such nice reviews! Thank you! Sorry about the delay, I was having a block and thinking this was crappy crap. But here we go!

The first date Juvia ever went to, was with Gray and she loved it, of course; even though things were a little bit too mechanic for them.  
  
It had been four days since the weekend of Natsu and Lucy’s wedding and Gray set them up to go in a very nice restaurant called Le Bistrot and when he informed the Omega a couple of days before, she was truly surprised to see that he did take the dating seriously.  
  
Of course, they were unable to be apart for too long: meeting at the Guild and having a few kisses was normal during those four days ‘away’ from each other. Gray could stand the ‘only kissing’, what he loathed was an entirely different thing.  
  
“You never said anything about spending nights apart.” Gray told her on the phone and Juvia sighed. She didn’t feel right for her too. They spent six months practically living in each other’s apartments, sleeping almost every night together and the absence, especially after the moments the couple shared after the wedding, it was horrible to not sleep in the same room. “It’s… it’s not nice.”  
  
The blunette looked down to the shirt she was wearing: his. And it did take a little of the loneliness away from her, since it still smelled like the Alpha. The woman looked to her clock and saw that was just past ten p.m., so, she asked softly: “Do you want Juvia to come over?”  
  
“No need, I am already climbing the stairs of your building.” Gray told her and she smiled when she heard the footsteps in the hallway. “We’ll just sleep; I won’t break your rule. It’s been three days, Juvia.”  
  
“Okay, then.” She told him and then heard the soft knock on her door. Juvia opened it and saw him there, with his suit, as if he was going to work, but she knew that it was just his way to just go to work in the next morning without needing to go home and change.  
  
The man entered the apartment, gave her a quick kiss and proceeded to take his clothes off, while Juvia went to bed and waited for him in her single bed: they would have to sleep really close to each other.  
  
“Don’t get handsy on Juvia.” The blunette teased when he joined her under the covers.  
  
“Please. It’s more likely for you to jump me. You’ve done it before.” Gray scoffed and lied down.  
  
“Juvia didn’t hear you complaining then.” She pointed out.  
  
“I didn’t. I am all for you jumping me now.”  
  
She laughed and then tucked her head under his chin, content to have him with her. Gray told her about their date and the Omega was surprised to know that he could get reservations. The Alpha didn’t want to tell her how he did it, but was clearly pleased with her excitement.  
  
Two days later, he appeared on her front door to take her on a date! Not in a million years she would’ve thought she was going on a date with Gray Fullbuster; and he looked oh so handsome. Wearing a formal white shirt and a dark blue vest, that was in the same shade as his pants, and a lighter blue tie.  
  
He looked gorgeous, of course: classy but comfortable.  
  
Juvia, on the other hand, chose a very nice tube red dress she and Cana went to buy together. It was a little too revealing (Cana chose it, for god’s sake), since it was strapless and showed all of the woman’s curves – she never lacked in the breasts and hips area, for Gray’s enjoyment. The Omega chose to braid her hair on the side and light make up.  
  
Gray took a deep breath when Juvia opened the door and groaned. “No sex tonight and you appear wearing that? Whatever did I do to you?”  
  
The woman blushed and giggled. “Juvia takes you liked it, then.”  
  
“Let’s get this over with.” He rolled his dark eyes, raising a hand slightly, pointing the direction towards the stairs. “Can we go?”  
  
“Sure.” Juvia closed her apartment door and followed the man’s instructions.  
  
The ride in the car until the restaurant was silent, but Juvia didn’t mind: they have been in silence for longer than just a few minutes. Besides, it felt just a bit odd: neither was very good at couple stuff.  
  
Le Bistrot was very fancy indeed and when the both were shown their table, the blunette could see that that were too many appreciative female (and a few male) eyes lingering too much on her Gray-sama.  
  
Bitches.  
  
Juvia herself was a descendant from wolves, sure, but those women were bitches, no one could say they weren’t. For a few moments, her mood was sour: Juvia hated the looks Gray received. The blunette understood that he was a handsome man, but he was her handsome man.  
  
“Problem?” Gray frowned when the blunette let out a small snarl without realize.  
  
“None at all.” Juvia brightened almost immediately, her eyes focusing on the man in front of her. Offering a smile, she rested her elbows on the table and leaned in. “Juvia is just happy.”  
  
“Good.” The Alpha replied and called for a waiter, asking for wine. When the man was gone, Gray looked at Juvia again. “Now, what humans normally talk about in ‘dates’?”  
  
“Your guess is as good as mine.” The blunette smiled. “This is Juvia’s first date and we do know many things about each other already.”  
  
“Hm…” He also leaned in towards her. “How about I start asking about the name of the city you’re from? You only told me that you’re from Ishval.” The woman tensed; a frozen smile on her lips.  
  
“Juvia thought you weren’t so keen on personal questions.” The Omega tried to sound light-headed.  
  
Gray shrugged, narrowed his eyes and decided to push a little further. “Why don’t you want to tell me?”  
  
“You know that Juvia’s childhood was… troubled.” She told him, biting her lower lip. “Juvia just wants to leave it behind.” The woman reached for his hand, touching it lightly. “She just wants to be here with you.”  
  
“I’ll need to know someday.” Gray told her, a pointed look in her direction.  
  
“Yes.” She smiled widely. “Juvia promises to tell you all about it someday.”  
  
Without much to go on, Gray just nodded and was about to say something else when the waiter arrived with their wine. The couple straightened up, and Juvia had to let his hand go while their glasses were being filled with the liquid.  
  
After the man was gone, Gray raised his glass towards Juvia and she did the same. They didn’t have to say their cheer, as it was clear as water: To us.  
  
A sip of wine later, Juvia put the glass back on the table, asking. “So, Juvia was shy to ask you, but this scar above your eyebrow: where did you get it?”  
  
“You just had to bring Lyon up, didn’t you?” Gray rolled his dark eyes. “Oh, I hate that man. See, I got this…”  
  
Juvia rested an elbow on the table and rested her head on the palm of her hand, staring at him while the Alpha explained exactly where he got his scar from, offering him a few noises in agreement when the cue was given. She never knew that she was going to be half as happy as she was at that moment. Maybe life was finally giving her a break?  
  
Maybe… maybe was time to let her guard down and just enjoy the moment. She earned it and she had an amazing man to share her life with.  
  
Ω  
  
Returning from their date, already inside Gray’s car, they were once again in a comfortable silence after talking for two hours about their jobs, their friends, some things that happened since they met. It was a very nice date and Juvia was more than happy. But then… a loud noise, coming from Gray’s stomach interrupted the peaceful evening.  
  
The blunette turned to look at her date, who had his cheeks turning into an interesting shade of pink, his ears very red already as he snapped: “Don’t. You. Laugh.” He told her between gritted teeth, her smile already widening. “Those portions were tiny and I need real food to live, not some fancy small chicken…”  
  
“Quail…” Juvia informed him, but the Alpha, in his embarrassment, ignored her.  
  
“…that can’t even make pretend that I’m not hungry for a couple of hours.” Gray continued to drive, refusing to look at the blunette. “This is just payback for last week, right? Because I laughed at you, isn’t it?”  
  
“It’s karma.” Juvia giggled and pointed out at the window. “Let’s eat at that 24hr fast food chain?” Gray glanced towards the woman, taking his eyes from the road for a moment, and frowned. Seeing that, the blunette smiled. “Those portions were tiny.”  
  
Gray smiled and stopped by the fast food restaurant. Deciding to eat there and not have the take out, the couple entered the room and received a lot of stares: they were dressed too fancy for the place. As they waited in live, Juvia giggled when saw the people start to talk, staring at them. The Alpha frowned and asked her what was so funny.  
  
“We look so formal and there are teenagers wearing loose jeans hanging out here.” She laughed. “Juvia is wearing a tiny red fancy dress and you look all prince-like.”  
  
“They probably think we are lost.” Gray scoffed and then let out a true laugh. “Or stonned.” The blunette laughed harder, seeing that if they were indeed high, they would be very hungry. “And with you laughing like that, they are sure.”  
  
The Omega put a hand over her mouth to try to contain her laughter and then slapped his arm playfully. “Stop it.”  
  
“Next.” The young attendant – couldn’t be more than fifteen, freckles, pimples and a load of dark curly hair underneath the silly colorful hat he was wearing, plus, the boy was a little overweight – called the couple and they stepped towards the counter. There was a tag with the name Rick on it. “What can I get you?”  
  
Juvia had stopped the laughter by then and was looking to the wall behind Rick, where there were many pictures of the current menu. What she didn’t see was that Rick had his eyes glued on her cleavage. Noticing it, the Alpha rolled his eyes.  
  
“Yeah, hi.” Gray waved his hand in front of the adolescent’s eyes, making the boy look at him. “Yes, they are very nice indeed and one day you’ll see some, but not tonight. You should be paying attention on me: I have the money.” The Alpha showed a credit card.  
  
“Sorry, sir.” Rick became so red that Juvia pitied the boy.  
  
“Sir.” Gray scoffed. “I am not old.”  
  
“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.” The boy didn’t know what to do  
  
“Gray-sama, stop it.” Juvia wanted to laugh again, but just smiled to the man, then turned to the boy, wearing the same smile. “Sorry about that. We’ll have a three,” she pointed to the wall, “with orange juice.” The blunette turned to Gray. “And you, Gray-sama?”  
  
“A five.” The dark haired Alpha said, giving the boy his card. “With extra everything.” Rick nodded and yelled the orders and offered the card machine to Gray, who put the password.  
  
“Extra everything?” Juvia asked, raising an eyebrow. “We just had dinner.”  
  
“Maybe you had dinner; I had a fancy little chicken.” The Alpha smirked, and the boy gave his card back.  
  
“Just wait a few minutes, sir. Mister. Man. Erm…” Rick didn’t know what else to call him. “Someone will bring your food to your table.”  
  
“Thanks, Rick.” Gray nodded; Juvia gave an appreciative smile to the boy, who smiled back, silly. Turning around, the couple found a booth where they could sit. The blunette went first, but trying to have fun one more time, Gray saw that the boy stare at Juvia’s assets as she went to the booth. “Rick!” The boy looked up to the older man. “Eyes up. Come on, man.”  
  
“Sorry sir. Mister. Man. I…”  
  
Laughing, Gray went after Juvia, seating by her side, prompting putting an arm around her shoulders. They were having more fun there than at Le Bistrot’s.  
  
“We are so not fancy restaurant people.” The Alpha said.  
  
“No, we are not.” Juvia giggled. “Just for special occasions, maybe?”  
  
“Special occasions only, then.” He kissed her temple.  
  
Ω  
  
When they arrived in front of Juvia’s building it was almost 3 a.m. and both came out of the car. Gray leaned on it while Juvia stood in front of him, her braid gone, so her hair was flowing with the wind.  
  
“Juvia had a great time today.” She told him, and the man nodded in agreement.  
  
“Oddly, me too.” The blunette rolled her eyes, of course he would think it was odd for him to have fun during a date. She shuddered with cold and Gray grabbed her wrist, bringing her to his chest and wrapping his arms around her. “Sorry, I would’ve offered my coat if I had used one today.”  
  
The blunette wanted to scream: he saw that she was cold and used himself to warm her. If she wasn’t head over heels about him, she would’ve been right there.  
  
Molding her body to his, the woman wrapped her arms around his neck. “Juvia read that a good-night kiss is in order after a first date.” She whispered.  
  
“I could spend the night instead.” Gray kissed her neck, and Juvia’s resolve almost melt.  
  
“Juvia doesn’t think she could stop herself from jumping you.” The blunette told him and Gray’s arms went to wrap themselves around her waist.  
  
“Then I’m definitely staying the night.”  
  
“No, you are not.” Juvia giggled.  
  
“Fine.” The Alpha rolled his eyes.  
  
“A good-night kiss, then.” The blunette said and Gray shrugged, clearly signing that he was fine with it or not. She laughed and then kissed him sweetly at first, but when Gray’s tongue slid softly on her lower lip and the blunette allowed its entrance, everything changed.  
  
Gray turned them, so Juvia was the one with her back on the car, pressing her hard against it while they kissed and the woman was sure that she was very close of melting right into his arms, as if she was made of pure water.  
  
When they needed to unlock their lips for air, Gray complained. “That was not a good-night kiss; that was a ‘we’ll-be-out-of-our-clothes-very-soon’ kiss.”  
  
“Not tonight.” Juvia giggled, pushing him lightly so he could get off of her.  
  
“Aw, man.” The Alpha said grumpily. “Then go upstairs already.” He pointed to her building.  
  
Juvia gave him a peck on his cheek. “Good night, Gray-sama.”  
  
“Now you give me a good-night kiss.”  
  
Ω  
  
Their second date happened a week later and Gray didn’t tell Juvia where exactly they were going, only that she should wear casual clothes and that he would pick her up at two p.m. The woman shrugged and did what was told; put a nice loose white dress that was neither too fancy nor too casual.  
  
When Gray arrived and Juvia entered his car, the Alpha finally told her where they were going and Juvia couldn’t help but let out a squeal and jump on his lap, kissing all over his face.  
  
Magnolia’s Aquarium was one the biggest in all of Fiore, and loving water like she did, Juvia was sad that she never went even after living there for almost a year; when the blunette and Gajeel arrived, they were more concerned in finding somewhere cheap to live, arranging jobs, setting a normal and undetected life. When they finally settle, their work schedules were crazy and it wasn’t like Gajeel wanted to go with her, so, she forgot about it.  
  
Gray knew that it would make her day to go there, since she told him about it, and she was even surprised he remembered something she mentioned after sleeping together almost three months back.  
  
“I am glad you are happy, but you need to get off of my lap so I can get us there, you know?” The dark haired man chuckled and Juvia nodded eagerly, returning to her seat.  
  
“This is going to be so much fun!” The Omega said in happiness.  
  
Juvia had an amazing day with Gray at the Aquarium. He had a small smile all day long, watching her fret about fishes, dolphins and others. Her eyes would sparkle as she explained to him everything she knew about certain things, and the man would nod and sometimes give his insight. Other times, she would run off, like a child, excited to see the next show the Aquarium was holding. They spent the whole afternoon there, and Gray even got her a stuffed dolphin, which she almost cried while receiving – Gray, used to her overly emotional estate, just rolled his eyes and waited for her hug to be over. She called the dolphin Yarg – which is Gray spelled backwards.  
  
Sometimes Gray really thought why the hell he bothered.  
  
Afterwards, they went to a small restaurant called Franky’s and had Franks Caramades – Magnolia’s famous local cuisine –, one of the best food she ever tasted, while they talked about the wonderful day they had together. And even though Gray was next to her all the time, she retold him all about the dolphin’s show, which was her favorite, obviously.  
  
When they were both done with their Franks Caramades – it was fun to watch her try to eat right as he taught her how to do it – Gray asked if she was ready to go home, but she shook her head ‘no’ and told him to go to his place. The man shrugged and did what was told. Once they arrived in the so familiar apartment, Juvia went straight to the couch, calling her date to sit beside her.  
  
“You were very nice today,” The blunette kissed his cheek when the man accommodated himself by her side.  
  
“Thank you.” Gray smiled. “It wasn’t as awful as I thought it would be.”  
  
“Oh, thanks.” She fake pouted and pretended to try to get up from the couch, but Gray, laughing, grabbed her so she landed on his lap, losing no time in arranging herself so she could kiss him.  
  
As they kissed, Juvia turned – without unlocking their lips – to straddle him, her white dress raising a bit and Gray put his hands there, helping it show her legs (he had a thing for legs – hers specifically) while his hands caressed her skin.  
  
“I am not complaining or anything,” Gray said once they needed to be apart to get some air and the Omega started to kiss his jaw while his hands went up, under the dress, to find their way to grab her hips “but I thought you said that we wouldn’t have sex until the third date…”  
  
“We are not.” The blunette told him, between small kisses.  
  
“Then I am confused.”  
  
“We won’t be having sex, but making out is fine.” Juvia bit his pulsing point. “Besides, you’ve been very good in our dates.” One of her hands started to roam over his chest. “And you haven’t complaining much about only kissing, so…. Juvia wants to make you feel good tonight.” She bit his earlobe and his grip on her hips tightened, as her hand went lower until it reached his groin; he was already getting hard because of her ministrations. “Maybe even try something new.” Her lips making a trail on his neck.  
  
“Hm…?” Gray asked, clearly distracted. “New?”  
  
“Yes.” Juvia took his hands off of her and got up, just to get on her knees in front of him.  
  
Realization finally went through him, making the Alpha sit straight. “Wow, wow, wow. Hold on.” Gray raised a hand and the woman stopped. “Juvia, you’ve never given me a blowjob in six months: I kind of got it that you weren’t too keen of it; and that’s fine, some women don’t like it and after what happened to you, only god knows how you still enjoy sex. I don’t expect you to do it, you know?”  
  
“Don’t you want it?” Juvia tilted her head to the side, confused.  
  
“I am male and with blood on my veins: of course I want it.” Gray groaned.  
  
“Then what’s the problem?” She went for the buttons of his pants, but he stopped her by grabbing the blunette’s wrists.  
  
“The problem is that I don’t want you to push yourself just to please me.” He told her the woman softly. When she finally understood him, her mouth made an ‘o’ shape. She got up and then sat by his side again.  
  
“You are not pushing anything, Gray-sama.” Juvia said, softly. “She always wanted to make you feel as good as you make her when you…” The Omega blushed as she remembered the times he went down on her. “But she was afraid.”  
  
“Afraid?” Gray frowned and the blunette nodded.  
  
“Juvia was told that she was not good at it, so, she didn’t want to try on you until she was more confident about it.” The woman told him.  
  
“Let me guess: the bastards who abused you told you were not good at it, right?” She nodded and Gray growled in frustration. “And you still think it’s true?” The woman shrugged and the Alpha wanted to punch someone, there were so much he still didn’t know about her, and he hated to learn about them during their intimate contact.  
  
“Juvia didn’t want to do a bad job and let you down.” The Omega told him and the man calmed himself a little bit. It was funny of how she could make him angry and then calm him with just a few words. “She wants to do it now, Gray-sama, because Juvia is confident that she is better.”  
  
“Juvia…” The Alpha sighed.  
  
“Please. This is for me too.” She put a hand on his cheek and looked deeply into his eyes, hoping that he could understand that those men had broken her and Gray was helping her get over it. “This is a very big step for Juvia and she wants to.”  
  
Of course he understood her: he always did. And who was he to not help her when she was clearly eager to do it?  
  
“I would be mad to say no to this.” The man passed his hands over his face when he saw Juvia smile –Gray was pretty sure that he should be the one smiling that brightly. She gave him a quick peck on his lips and then dropping to the knees once again.  
  
While she was working on his pants, something came on Gray’s mind.  
  
“Wait… How exactly are you so confident all of a sudden?”  
  
“Juvia researched.” The woman undid his zipper and started to tug down his pants.  
  
“Researched? Where?” Gray raised his hips enough so the Omega could pull it down.  
  
“The internet.”  
  
“Juvia, did you watch porn so you could learn how to give a blowjob?  
  
“Yes. Now shush.”  
  
Ω  
  
“Okay, we had established that those guys were bastards, but now I am pretty sure they were also stupid.” Gray said after regaining his mind after having Juvia give him the oral sex of his life. Thank the gods that the knot only appeared during copulation, otherwise being deprived from that pleasure would’ve been awful.  
  
The man was righting himself, putting the underwear back while Juvia exited the bathroom, smiling widely, but with a hint of doubt. “So… Was it good?”  
  
“As if it wasn’t clear that it was very good.” Gray got up from the couch and went to stay by the woman’s side, putting his hands on her hips. “You are staying tonight, right?”  
  
“Nope.” She popped the ‘p’ and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, kissing him lightly.  
  
“You know I don’t like to leave you hanging.” Gray touched her neck with the point of his nose, taking in the smell of his female, the smell that showed that she also wanted him and, as always, it made him insane. “You want me. Let me do it for you too.”  
  
“We both know that if you do, we will not stop.” Juvia giggled. “We’ll get carried away and before we realize, we’ll be going for round two.” Gray made a sound that showed that even though he didn’t like it, she was right. “Juvia will go home now before you can go again.”  
  
“I’ll take you home.” The blunette tried to protest: he was already home, he didn’t need to go all the way across town to take her; but the man raised a hand, preventing her to speak. “It’s not up for discussion.”  
  
“Juvia likes when you get like this.” She smiled and kissed his cheek.  
  
“Like what?” Gray asked, confused.  
  
“Don’t know. Like you are now: sweet.” The Omega shrugged.  
  
“I am just taking you home, don’t get your panties in a twist.” Rolling his eyes, the man let her go and grabbed his car keys. “Let’s go.”  
  
Ω  
  
Date number three happened a week later. Juvia had to ban Gray from her apartment or else she would’ve jumped his bones and if she was to survive the week, she couldn’t have the Alpha sleeping by her side every other night and be expected to control herself: maybe male Mages could prevent themselves from jumping every good scented female, but Juvia was not prepared for that.  
  
To the Omega’s surprise, the date was going to be in Gray’s apartment – she was glad, they wouldn’t need to walk long to just get the frustration of three weeks off of their bodies (she even chose to wear a light blue dress that night so it could be easier to take it off) – and even though the man wanted to go pick her up, Juvia told him that would be easier if she just dropped by.  
  
It was eight p.m. when the woman knocked on Gray’s door and a moment later he opened it, wearing formal shirt (the white one he knew that with two buttons opened, made her crazy) with a pair of dark jeans (that Juvia once told him that made his ass look better). Apparently he was decided to make her drool.  
  
“Hi.” Juvia breathed and saw Gray smirk for a moment, when he realized that her smell got stronger with want for him. Good god, she just needed to last a meal, but if she was already dying with just the sight of him… That was going to be a tough night.  
  
“Hi.” Gray leaned and kissed her on the mouth and just like their kiss on the first date, that was not a ‘hi-there-kiss’, that kiss meant that Gray intended to take her as soon as possible.  
  
“I… What? Yes. Hi.” Juvia said a little out of herself and Gray laughed lightly, pulling her by the hand towards inside the apartment.  
  
That was going to be a tough, tough night.  
  
To make things worse for Juvia, Gray had set the counter as if it was from a restaurant, the damn man even put some flowers and lit up a candle to be in the middle of it and the lights of the room were pleasantly lower. Someone was eager to get laid, it appeared.  
  
“You went through all this trouble just for our third date?” Juvia asked and she felt the man stop right behind her, his hands on her hips and the blunette rested her body on his, appreciating the heat and smell emanating from him.  
  
“It was just putting a towel over my counter, buy a few flowers and light up a candle. No trouble at all.” Gray laughed and Juvia’s insides warmed up with the sound. When they were alone, Gray changed so much, he would become kinder, gentler and funnier. Not that he was an ogre to her in public, the man just didn’t like to show affection in front of other people and even though he was harsh with her a few times, he always made the blunette know that he liked her in his own way. “The only thing I really had to make was the food.”  
  
“You cooked?” Juvia asked, not truly believing in him.  
  
“Surprised?” Gray chuckled.  
  
“Yes.” She was always the one to cook whenever they were together.  
  
“Good.” Gray chuckled moved Juvia’s blue hair away from her neck – she chose to wear it down, she knew he liked better that way – and kissed the soft skin right under her ear. “Need to keep you entertained.”  
  
The woman sighed in contentment, and then whispered. “What are we eating?”  
  
“Lasagna.” Gray kissed her again and the blunette put her hands over his, to move them away. There was no way that if he kept it up, they would even taste that lasagna he was talking about. Seeing her step away from him, the Alpha sighed when saw Juvia turn around and look pointedly at him: she knew exactly what he was doing. “It was worth the try.”  
  
“There will be time for it later.” Juvia giggled and pulled him by the hand. “Now let’s have this nice smelling lasagna.  
  
Ω  
  
After eating, the food was really good – Juvia was impressed, but Gray told her that he did live alone for quite some time and needed to learn how to do things –, the couple went to sit down on the couch, glasses of wine forgotten on the tea table as they talked. It was almost midnight when a very touchy subject.  
  
“So, you and Gajeel.” Gray said and Juvia knew what was coming. During their six months together the Alpha accepted that their friendship was strong, but the question was bound to be asked someday: “Have you ever…?” He let the end of the sentence in the air.  
  
Blushing, the Omega answered after a moment. “Not quite.”  
  
“But…?” Gray pushed.  
  
“There was a kiss” she said, but added the rest fast so Gray could understand her. “just for us to know that we had no chemistry whatsoever.”  
  
“This is the kind of thing I need to know!” The dark haired man protested, making a weird face. “Aw, I thought you were going to say ‘no’. I meet the man almost every day and now I have to know that he once had his tongue down your throat?”  
  
“Hey!” The wine Juvia had was going straight up to her head. She poked him on the chest. “And you think that it’s easy to know that when you were introduced to Lucy, you thought she smelled nice?”  
  
“How do you know that?” Gray asked, dumbfounded when he realized that she knew something that happened almost two years before.  
  
“Girls talk.” The woman shrugged.  
  
“She doesn’t smell nice anymore, trust me; Natsu’s smell is all over her.” Gray shuddered. “But I never even touched Lucy. You, on the other hand… you have Gajeel cooties.” The man smirked when saw Juvia throw her head back and let out a laugh that lasted a few moments.  
  
“Juvia thinks that the cooties have and expiration date, and it has been eight years since then.” The Omega was playing with the buttons of Gray’s shirt. “She is pretty sure that they are all gone now.”  
  
He sighed in fake sadness. “I’ll have to check, then.”  
  
“I believe you do.” Juvia kissed his lips and was about to take things further when Gray pushed her back. The woman frowned when she saw him getting something from his pocket.  
  
“Just a moment before we… you know.” He told her and the blunette could see his ears getting red. He was a tease, sure, but could also be shy. “Where the hell is…?” His eyes brightened when he finally found what he was looking for. “Here we go. This is for you.”  
  
The Alpha deposited a silver key on the Omega’s hand. The woman’s frown deepened. “What’s this?”  
  
“The key to my apartment.” Gray told her and Juvia’s eyes widen as she stared at it. “We almost live with each other already, we do spend a lot of our time away from work together, but I don’t want you to wait for me to be here so you can come in. I… I just want for you to have somewhere to go and be safe if you ever need to and I am not around.”  
  
Juvia could feel her eyes sting and her vision become blurry as the tears started to appear in her eyes. The blunette put a hand over her mouth and then let one tear down. Gray, frowned and then said: “I’m sorry, I thought it would make you happy to…”  
  
“Juvia is v-v-very happy.” The woman sobbed and threw herself on his arms, hugging him tightly. “You don’t even know how much this means.” Gray relaxed his body and hugged her back, a hand petting her hair. Taking courage, the Omega whispered to him. “Geyger.”  
  
“What?” Gray looked down to her, confused.  
  
“My hometown. I am from Geyger, which is old ishvalian for rain.” Juvia told him.  
  
“Strange name.” He chuckled and Juvia agreed, nodding. “I am happy that you decided to tell me, even though there’s more, right?”  
  
“Yes.” The blunette nodded and bit her lower lip. “Juvia wants to tell you everything, but… She’s afraid you’ll leave.”  
  
“I am not leaving.”  
  
“Good.” The blunette was caressing the hair right above the back of his neck and kissed his lips lightly, lingering a little too long. “If you keep up with being this amazing, you’ll let Juvia’s guards down and she’ll tell you everything.”  
  
The Alpha was the one who leaned and captured her lips with his. “It’ll only take me a few lasagnas? I should’ve tried it since day one.” Juvia giggled and then tried to get away from him, she got up, but Gray grabbed her hand. “Where do you think you’re going?”  
  
“Juvia’s make-up is probably all messed up and she looks awful; she was going to take care of it.”  
  
Gray got up too and put a hand on her cheek. “You look ravishing, Juvia. Always do.”  
  
Their lips met once again, but this time was in a hungry kiss. Juvia could feel his frustration for being three weeks without having sex because she said so – if it was hard on her, on him would’ve been twice as difficult – and after those perfect dates, especially that last one, Gray proved to the blunette that yes, she loved him and only him and she was going to show him her love.  
  
The woman felt Gray raise her from the ground and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Breaking the kiss just for a moment, the man asked her, almost breathless. “Is the third date over yet? Please, say yes. I can’t take it anymore.”  
  
“Me neither. The dates are over, let’s celebrate.” Juvia laughed when his mouth found hers once again, rougher. Without untangled them, Gray managed to get both to his bedroom to seal their agreement.  
  
Ω  
  
3 Months Later  
  
Juvia’s phone started to buzz on its spot on the bedside and the Omega grabbed it without even opening her eyes. Gray’s arms were wrapped around her waist and she didn’t want to move much to not wake him up.  
  
“Hello?” She said after answering the call.  
  
“Juvia?” Gajeel said between breaths and the blunette sat right away on the bed, full alert, waking Gray in the process.  
  
“Gajeel-kun? What is it?” The Omega looked to the clock; it was a little past midnight.  
  
“I need to talk to you.” He said, finally catching his breath. “Now.”  
  
“What’s going on?” Gray asked sleepily, watching his girlfriend get up from bed wearing one of his shirts.  
  
“Where are you?” Juvia continued to talk on the phone while walking around the room. “Is it him?”  
  
“No. Not him.” Gajeel reassured her and the blunette sighed in relief. “But… I didn’t know who else to call. I’m at that park near Levy’s. Do you know which one is it?”  
  
“Yes. Give me ten minutes, okay?” The woman told her friend. “Juvia will be right over.”  
  
“Okay.” Gajeel finished the call and the Omega put a pair of sweat pants and didn’t even realize that Gray was by her side.  
  
“Hey, what is it?” Juvia almost jumped, startled, when her boyfriend touched her arm, to get her attention.  
  
“Don’t know.” The woman said, grabbing a hoodie and putting on. “Gajeel needs Juvia. Go back to sleep, Gray-sama.” She gave him a peck on the cheek, but the man grabbed her by the wrist.  
  
“Wait a minute. I’ll go with you.” Gray informed her. “I’m up anyways, it’s late; and don’t give me crap that you can defend yourself, if needed. I’ll take you; just let me find pants and a shirt.” Juvia thanked him and as soon as he was dressed, they went to his car.  
  
Not even ten minutes later, they arrived at the small park and spotting Gajeel, sitting alone in a bench, his hair messier than ever, his leg moving up and down with nervousness. Juvia glanced towards Gray, who just said: “Go. I’ll be here; the man is almost having a panic attack.”  
  
The blunette nodded and got off the car.  
  
Her friend didn’t even move when the woman sat by his side, touching his arm lightly. She waited until he was ready to talk whichever made him so restless; Juvia never saw him like that. Not even when he freaked out about marking Levy.  
  
“She’s pregnant.” He said after a few moments.  
  
“Oh…” Juvia was surprised with the news and she had to take a few moments to absorb it, before smiling softly. “That’s nice.”  
  
“I noticed a change in her scent, but I never thought…” Gajeel groaned in frustration, passing a hand through his already messy hair. “What the hell am I doing here, Juvia? Getting a Mate? Now a kid? What is going on with my life?”  
  
“You are living it, Gajeel-kun.” The blunette told him, softly.  
  
The man stayed in silence for a few moments, then, almost whispering: “What if they find us?”  
  
“They won’t.” Juvia tried her best to sound confident, much more confident than she felt. “We’ve been here for over a year and no one got even close to find us.” She grabbed one of his hands and squeezed. “Maybe they are not even looking for us anymore. Maybe it’s time to stay.” Even so, she could see doubt in his red eyes when he turned to look at her.  
  
“Let’s say that Jose never finds us. Then what? What do I know about children? They smell, they are loud and they throw up a lot.” He asked and Juvia had to giggle with his idea of children; she didn’t get around with them too much either, but the woman was sure that they were not all about pooping.  
  
“You’ll learn along the way, just like every other new parent.” The Omega said sweetly. “Go home, tell her that you panicked and needed some time to think. She’s probably worried sick and thinking you don’t want the baby. After you assure her you do – yes, you do, you are just scared –” Juvia said before the man could argue: it was clear that he loved Levy, and having a family might be a new concept for him, but the big bad Gajeel Redfox would love to have a child; he would see it as soon as he stopped panicking. “then… you should tell her about everything.”  
  
“Everything? We decided that…” Gajeel was the one surprised that time.  
  
“She’s your Mate and will be having your baby; she needs to know.” Juvia pointed out and Gajeel seemed to consider it.  
  
“How about your boyfriend there?” He pointed with his chin in the direction Juvia came from. “Are you telling him?”  
  
“In time, yes.” The woman offered, looking over her shoulder to where Gray’s car was parked. “Juvia is trying to find the right words or the right moment to do so, but she’s afraid he’ll leave her for being so dumb…”  
  
“You two have been dating for what? Three months now? For an officially unmarked Mage, this is a lifetime.” Gajeel rolled his eyes. “Don’t think he will leave you because of your past, he knows most of it anyways.”  
  
“Let’s hope.” Juvia smiled. “Do you want a lift home?”  
  
“No, thanks.” Gajeel got up and Juvia did the same. “I’ll walk, clear my thoughts.”  
  
“Alright.” Juvia tip toed so she could hug her friend properly. “Congratulations, Gajeel-kun. You deserve this: to be happy.”  
  
“I… Thanks, I guess.” He patted her on the back awkwardly. “Sorry to wake you up.”  
  
“That’s what friends are for.” The blunette kissed his cheek. “Now, go home and be happy. Juvia will protect you if it comes to it. Not changing diapers, though.” She said jokingly.  
  
“Oh, shut up.” Gajeel nudged her shoulder and she laughed, turning to leave.  
  
“Good night, Gajeel-kun.” The woman waved good-bye.  
  
“Whatever.” Good night, Juvia. The man turned to go away as well, feeling better.  
  
Juvia grabbed her cellphone and wrote a quick SMS to Levy, who was probably worried sick about her stupid Mate: “He’s okay, just freaking out with the news. He’ll be home soon. Don’t worry, you two (three) will be fine. Congratulations. :) – Juvia”  
  
“What was that all about?” Gray asked as soon as Juvia was back inside the car, wearing a big smile.  
  
“Apparently Juvia’s going to be an aunt.” She turned to face her boyfriend, who, after a moment, finally understood what those words meant.  
  
“What? No way.” The Alpha was as surprised as Juvia when she heard the news.  
  
“Way.” The blunette laughed and saw the man start the car’s engine. “He freaked out, but will be fine as soon as he talks to Levy-san. He was afraid about not being a good parent.” Then, in a softer tone, she added: “As if he wouldn’t be just the best dad ever.”  
  
Gray frowned with her words, but let it go. “Wow, a baby. That will make the people from the Guild happy. Since Asuka there were no children born; this will be big news.”  
  
“Yes.” Juvia chuckled, and then looked outside her window, for a few moments. This was just such a happy occasion. Who would’ve thought eight years before that Gajeel would have a mate – a kind, gentle, sweet mate – and with a pup on the way? Things were starting to look good for them.  
  
“I never asked…” Gray broke the silence after a minute, “but what’s your insight on babies? I am not asking you to get pregnant, by the way.” He told her before she got any ideas; they just had been together for nine months, dating for three. “That’s just something we never talked about.”  
  
The Omega took a while to answer, trying to choose her words right: she wanted to have a family more than anything, but not just yet. “Juvia wants to have children one day, when things aren’t complicated.”  
  
“And when’s that?” The Alpha asked, frowning.  
  
“Hopefully before her fifties.” Juvia joked, but Gray didn’t look amused.  
  
“You still owe me an explanation about these complications. You haven’t told me everything yet.” He reminded the blue haired woman.  
  
“I’m almost there. Just… a little more time? Please?” She glanced at him and, rolling his eyes, he nodded. She was almost there. Almost free of her fears.  
  
Ω  
  
The news about Levy’s pregnancy was out and everyone was truly happy about them. A couple of days after meeting Gajeel the librarian woman had corned Juvia at the Guild and hugged her, thanking the Omega for being such a good friend to her Mate. Without really know what to do or say, Juvia just hugged her back and said ‘thank you’.  
  
Two weeks after hearing about the pregnancy first hand, Juvia was trying to wake Gray up. He had promised to go running with her on the park in the morning; she would go there three or four times a week and the blunette finally made her boyfriend agree to go with her.  
  
What appeared to be the trouble was to get him off the bed.  
  
“I was drunk when I agreed with it.” He tried to argue, but Juvia set her mind in bringing him with her that morning.  
  
“No you weren’t. You were driving so you just had a coke.” The blunette tried to  
  
“See? I was clearly drugged. Now let me sleep.” Gray turned around, but Juvia wasn’t having it.  
  
“You promised.” She pleaded. “And Juvia bets that you’ll like it: it makes you feel better after.”  
  
“Juvia…”  
  
“Come with me and you’ll have a free card.” The woman changed her approach and it seemed to be the correct action course, because Gray turned his head to face her.  
  
“A free card?” He eyed her carefully, afraid of being tricked again.  
  
“Yes. You’ll have one wish and whatever it is, Juvia will do it.” Gray stared at the woman and Juvia was feeling anxious: she really wanted to have that run with him. “You’ll see, it’s so freeing to run at a park, it seems like the wild. Maybe that’s why Juvia likes it so much: the wolf inside and all.” He was too quiet, so she tried to call him. “Gray-s…”  
  
“I’m pondering my options.” The dark haired man interrupted. “I can stay in bed where I can sleep all day or go to a run, get sweaty and hot but get a free card.” Juvia kept staring at him with wide pleading eyes, so the man rolled his own. “Fine. Fine. But this free card better be worth it.”  
  
Juvia kissed him happily and then let him go to the bathroom and then change.  
  
After a very nice and well-cooked breakfast – otherwise Gray would just get crankier – they went to Magnolia Park, which was big and very nice for jogging. The day was sunny and the weather was nice, but Gray still had a scowl on his face during their ride to the park.  
  
When they arrived and got out of the car, Gray his shirt off and threw inside the vehicle. Juvia frowned.  
  
“What are you doing?”  
  
“Getting ready. There’s no way that I am going to go run like a savage wearing anything else other than my pants. You know I get hot easily.” The Alpha shrugged and Juvia looked around the park, noticing that there were too many girls there just with the purpose of chasing a good-looking guy.  
  
“Hm… Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all…” The blunette said and Gray’s head snapped in her direction while he put the car keys in his pocket.  
  
“Don’t you even.” The shirtless man said, pointing at her with his eyes narrowing. “We are going to run this damn park. I did not get up and got ready just to return home. I am earning that damn free card.”  
  
“But the girls…” Juvia tried to explain to him her reasons, but he interrupted her.  
  
“Are going to look just as much as the guys are going to look at your boobs and your ass, since you are wearing those tiny clothes, and you are not seeing me being bitchy about it, are you?” Juvia was opening and closing her mouth like a fish. “Now, let’s go run our asses in that park and be happy about it!”  
  
“Yes, sure.” Juvia followed the man, who was heading towards the track. “Hm… Gray-sama?”  
  
“Hm?” The man stopped and turned to look at her.  
  
“Thanks.” She smiled and he rolled his eyes.  
  
“Think about the free card. Think about the free card.” The Alpha said loud enough for Juvia to hear, but she knew he didn’t mean it. Much.  
  
After doing the warm ups and running for about an hour, Gray was finally less tense. The couple even raced back to the car. Juvia was winning, but her boyfriend caught her from behind, lifting her from the ground while the blunette laughed and fake-struggled him.  
  
“That was not fair.” The Omega said, still being held by the man.  
  
“We didn’t set rules.” Gray laughed.  
  
“It was still cheating!” The woman shrieked. “And let me down, you are all sweaty!”  
  
“You don’t complain when we get sweaty another way.” Gray whispered so the people around them – that were saying: ‘Aw, such a cute couple’, ‘Why are you not like this with me anymore?’ and ‘I wanted to be in her/his place.’ – couldn’t hear. As expected, she blushed and finally put her feet on the floor. She was about to answer him when a voice caught her attention.  
  
“Holy shit…” That voice. “Is that… Stormi Rainfall?” That name. It had been eight years since she last heard it. Her whole body tensed and Gray felt it; and, confused, he put her on the ground and both turned around to see a red haired man with other two by each of his sides approach them. “Is that you? Oh, my, I know someone who’s going to be pleased to hear from you.” His accent was strong and he was clearly ishvalian, like the Omega.  
  
“Friends of yours?” Gray asked, putting himself in front of her in a protective way. He didn’t know what was happening, but Juvia’s reaction was enough to make him believe that he was going to be in a fight soon.  
  
“No.” Juvia whispered.  
  
They had found her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So, this is like the inversion of last chapter where things were crappy and then became nice. :( Sorry, but this is needed. I hope you guys are not too upset with the cliffie. Who is this man?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be talk in Portuguese, but the translations are right beside it. I did it to highlight the differences between Fiorian and Ishvalian in this story. I’ll try to keep it short, though.

“What do you mean we are not friends, Stormi?” The red haired man asked with a fake hurt tone and heavy accent, and with a hand over his chest. “You wound me; I believe we still have three months left.”  
  
There was no doubt of who the man was; even after ten years, Juvia would never forget Philip Stoten, one of the men who took advantage of her when she was still fourteen years old and he was forty. He was the most brutal man she knew from back in Phantom Lord, the girl would be incredibly hurt after each meeting with him, up until Jose came to her rescue after one of her legs was broken – no one broke Jose’s things.  
  
“O quê você está fazendo aqui?” [What are you doing here?] Juvia asked in ishvalian with her voice trembling in fear. Gray had no idea of what the talk was about, but he didn’t like those men and he hated the blue haired woman’s reaction and the fact that she changed languages to talk to them.  
  
“Coincidência, querida.” [Coincidence, Darling.] Philip shrugged nonchalantly as if they were talking about the weather. “Jose vai ficar feliz em escutar que você finalmente foi encontrada.” [Jose will be happy to learn that you’re found.] The man’s green eyes sparkled in malice when the Phantom Lord’s Master name passed through his lips. “Ele está oferecendo uma recompensa gorda por você e Metalicana, sabe?” [He’s offering a fat reward for you and Metalicana, you know?]  
  
“E depois que vocês forem propriamente disciplinados – e se vocês estiverem vivos, claro – quem te entregou pode escolher um dos dois pra si mesmo.” [And after you two are properly disciplined – and if you are alive afterwards, of course – whoever turned you in can choose one of you for himself.] The ginger looked over his shoulder to the men he was with, who snickered with his words, while the hair on Juvia’s neck raised, sensing the worse. Gray probably felt it too – the woman heard a low growl coming from him.  
  
“Seu cabelo está mais comprido, você está maravilhosa e seu cheiro está um pouco diferente do que lembro, mas no momento que o senti, sabia que era você!” [Your hair is longer, you look stunning now and your scent is a little different from what I remember, but the moment I caught it, I knew it was you.] The man looked to Gray and took a sniff. “Você está fodendo esse Alfa, querida? E não parece que é coisa nova, mas você ainda não foi marcada. Ainda tentando ser normal?” [Are you fucking this Alpha, Darling? And it doesn’t seem recent news, yet you are not marked. Still trying to be normal?] He raised an eyebrow and then smirked. “Você ainda vai ter um Alfa; vamos relembrar os velhos tempos, querida.” [You’ll have an Alpha still; we will remember the old times, Darling.]  
  
“You two, stop it with the ishvalian crap.” Gray said, angry with being the only one that didn’t understand the conversation – even the two men behind the red haired guy seemed to know what it was all about – and the Alpha would have none of it. “Juvia, what’s going on? Who is this guy?”  
  
“Juvia?” The newcomer frowned and then understood that Gray meant the woman. “Oh you mean her?” He moved his eyes back at Juvia. “You call yourself Juvia now? I prefer Stormi so much better; you were a little storm when I had you right under me, crying and begging…”  
  
Before Philip could finish the sentence, Gray launch himself over to him, punching the man in the face and when the red haired guy was on the floor, the Alpha put a hand on the other’s throat, squeezing it hard, his eyes full of rage and hate for the excuse of a man.  
  
Seeing the attack, all Juvia could do was to take care of the other men, two deltas, as fast as she could so she could prevent her boyfriend to do something he would regret later. Juvia was an Omega, but she was no regular Omega; she trained with her friend for years, so she could protect herself and Juvia would never feel helpless again, if she was going down, she was doing it with a fight.  
  
The first man stepped in Gray and Philip’s direction, but Juvia put herself between them and kicked him between his legs, incapacitating enemy number one. The second guy tried to punch her, but the woman easily dodged it and punched him on the nose with all her strength, breaking it.  
  
Seeing that they were incapacitated to fight for a couple of minutes, the blue haired woman turned to look at the other two men, ignoring a few viewers. She had more pressing issues, like the fact that Philip was getting redder by the second.  
  
“Gray-sama!” She dropped to her knees by the Alpha’s side and tried to take them apart. “Stop it!”  
  
“He raped you when you were a child.” Gray growled as his hand squeezed the other man’s throat harder and Philip tried to gasp for air. “He doesn’t get to live after that.”  
  
“Please.” Juvia cried and tried to make her boyfriend to let go of Philip. “Don’t do this, Gray-sama! It will get worse.” The woman put a hand over her boyfriend’s and Gray hesitated to continue his assault, loosening his grip on the other man’s throat.  
  
“He hurt you.” Gray whispered, still looking at the red haired with anger and Juvia noticed that Philip could breathe better.  
  
“Yes, so don’t let him continue – because if you keep going, it will.” Gently, the touched her boyfriend’s face and saw him relax a tiny bit. “Please, let’s go home.”  
  
The Alpha sighed and nodded, letting Philip go completely and while the man tried to catch his breath, the couple stood up. Juvia put her arms around Gray as tightly as she could. “We need to go.” The woman said, noticing their surroundings. “There are too many people looking.”  
  
“Yes.” Gray nodded in agreement, pulling the woman towards the direction of his car.  
  
“You can’t run away anymore, Stormi!” Philip half yelled from his spot on the ground, the other two men by his side, one still with his hands on his nose and the other clearly uncomfortable.  
  
“Don’t call her that! Her name is Juvia.” Gray turned around and was about to go back and kick some ishvalian ass, but Juvia grabbed his wrist before he could.  
  
“You saw that you will lose if we fight for real, Philip.” Juvia said, keeping Gray away from the scumbag the best she could; there was no way that she could be in the middle of an Alpha and its prey one more time and prevent a tragedy. “Go away and leave us alone.” The blunette push her boyfriend away from the man.  
  
“Vou encontrar Metalicana também, sua vadia!” [I’ll find Metalicana too, you bitch!] The red haired man growled and at that Juvia turned around and it was Gray’s time to hold his girlfriend, even though he had no idea of what was being said.  
  
“Metalicana morreu dois anos atrás, seu idiota.” [Metalicana died two years ago, you idiot.] The blunette said with anger and Gray grabbed the woman from the waist and whispered a ‘calm down’.  
  
“Foi tarde.” [Good riddance.] Philip coughed. “Isso não acabou, Stormi.” [This isn’t over, Stormi.]  
  
“Eu sei.” [I know.] Juvia yelled and Gray needed to open the car’s door and push her inside before she was the one to go and kick Philip into a bloody pulp but before he did, Juvia yelled something else. “Mas não vou estar mais aqui quando você conseguir falar com Jose.” [But I won’t be here anymore when you manage to speak to Jose.]  
  
After closing the door, Gray turned around the car to the driver’s side and after taking a glance at the man he almost choked while he was being raised to his feet by his friends. He entered the car and started it. He took a peak to his side and saw his girlfriend getting paler, the anger forgotten and he noticed how she was shaking.  
  
Juvia was afraid, and so was he.  
  
“Gray-sama-” Juvia whispered when they were on their way to Gray’s apartment.  
  
“Not here.” He cut her off.  
  
“But…” She tried again; she needed to explain a few things to him.  
  
“Don’t. Say. A. Word.” With that, the blunette refrained herself of saying anything else until they arrived at home and Gray was calmer.  
  
Ω  
  
“I want to kill him.” Gray told her as soon as they entered his apartment and the woman panicked a little, knowing that if he went after Philip, he was ruined and Juvia could never forgive herself if anything happened to him.  
  
“You can’t; it’ll only bring trouble for you.” Juvia tried to persuade her boyfriend.  
  
“Do you think that I care?” The man yelled as he strode in the living room and Juvia could see that he wanted nothing more to just punch Philip over and over again until the man was no longer breathing and the world is a better place, because, honestly? No one would miss the scumbag. “That was one of those bastards and I just let him go.”  
  
“Because it would ruin your life.” She said, but Gray shook his head and he opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but closed not too long after. He started to walk from one side to the other around the living room.  
  
“The past is catching up, Juvia, and I need to know…” The Alpha stopped to stare at his girlfriend. “Are they coming for you?”  
  
The blunette took a moment to think about her answer. “Not right now. Philip probably called Jose and they are preparing to come, calling people he knows; it’ll take two days for them to get here if they fly to Magnolia.”  
  
Gray nodded and returned to his pacing for a few moments, before speak again. “What did you say to him in the end? You started to talk in ishvalian and I didn’t catch it.”  
  
She hesitated, but answered. “Juvia told them Gajeel-kun died – they know him as Metalicana – so he’s safe for now and they will probably think that it’s just... me they need to worry about.”  
  
“Now can you tell me what am I against here?” The Alpha asked, stopping to stare at the woman.  
  
Juvia sighed and shook her head. “Telling you would just would put you in more danger than you already are.”  
  
The man growled and took two steps, stopping right in front of the Omega. “I don’t care! You lied to me about everything so far, Juvia. I just want you to be honest for once!”  
  
“Juvia did not…” She tried to say, but Gray interrupted.  
  
“Juvia… or is it Stormi? That man kept calling you that and was very surprised with your new name.” The man saw his girlfriend pale and her eyes widen is horror. “Juvia is not even your real name, is it?” Seeing her reaction, her eyes averting his while Gray lets out a loud growl of frustration, which makes the woman shrink in fear. “What else have you been keeping from me?”  
  
“Not about the important things! Juvia did not lie about her past.” The Omega whispered, but in his anger, Gray didn’t notice that she was terrified about his reaction.  
  
“But you never told me everything!” The man pointed at her, accusing the Omega. “You kept me in the dark for too long.”  
  
“You said it was alright for Juvia to wait until she was ready.” The blunette said in a low voice.  
  
“We’ve been together for ten months now! Did I ever give you any reason to think that I was going to bolt at the scent of trouble?” Gray asked.  
  
She shook her head, heart pounding with just the thought that Gray could even have this inside his head. “Of course not! Juvia trusts you more than you know.”  
  
“But not enough so you could tell me the whole story?” He asked and the woman tried to make him see her reasoning.  
  
“You don’t understand!” She touched his forearm, but Gray yanked it away from her hands. “Jose is more dangerous than you know.”  
  
“Yeah?” Narrowing his dark eyes, Gray stared at the Omega. “Because Gajeel told Levy about his past of running with you and he seemed much less enthusiastic about being in a relationship than you did.”  
  
“Juvia…. Juvia wants to keep you safe.” The blunette whispered.  
  
“It’s not your call to make!” The Alpha said with his voice loud. “You can’t decide that on your own! Do you think I like to go out to have a normal morning with my girlfriend and meet a man from her past, whom I want to kill for hurting her? Because I don’t!”  
  
“Gray-sama.”  
  
“No, Juvia! I’ve been patient; I’ve been waiting for you to just… say something. You know about my past, you know about my parents, about Ur and even Ultear and I had to wait seven months for you to even say where you came from!” He laughed without really mean it, and then became quiet for a moment before resuming his speech. “I don’t do that for just anyone; I don’t want to know this kind of crap, I don’t care about people’s past and I don’t mind not knowing and I thought I was okay with you keeping it to yourself, but I am not.”  
  
Juvia dried a stray tear that she couldn’t hold and spoke in a low voice. “What are you saying?”  
  
The Alpha sighed. “I’m saying that I need to take a walk to clear my head.”  
  
“Gray-sama, please.” Juvia tried to hold his hand when he passed by her side, but the man just dodged her attempt of contact as he walked towards the door.  
  
When Gray left the apartment, Juvia cried. She felt terribly guilty that her secrets were destroying her relationship and would probably tear them more and more apart.  
  
She remembered Jose’s goons from when she was still a child and adolescent, the terrifying men that would fight for female Mages amongst themselves and then choose their mates. She remembered being a very requested girl and the horror of it.  
  
Juvia recalled that Jose had connections all around Ishval and a few in Fiore; with a well formed plan, he could destroy Fairy Tail and its members. She couldn’t let it happen, Juvia was not having her new family suffer for her mistakes from when she was younger and stupid.  
  
She was naïve to think that they would never find her just because she wished very hard.  
  
The Omega should’ve called Gajeel so they could leave Magnolia as soon as possible, but her friend was more than happy in that town and had a baby coming and a very sweet mate to concern himself with; it was time for him to run because of her. Gray would be fine too, of course. When he couldn’t find her, he would let go and live his life.  
  
Protect them and her friends came first.  
  
Running to the bedroom she spent so many nights of passion in Gray’s arms, the blunette managed to grab all of her things and put inside the overnight bag she would carry with her whenever she knew the night was going to be spent in her boyfriend’s apartment. Between tears, she took one last look around, before closing the door behind her.  
  
To leave without saying a word would’ve been worse, so she grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a note, putting it on the counter, which Gray would see when he arrived – whenever that was.  
  
She loved being Juvia Lockser, because Juvia had friends who turned out to be the family she always wanted. Juvia Lockser had Gray Fullbuster for almost a year and that was more than she ever expected it to happen.  
  
Juvia Lockser was no more.  
  
Ω  
  
Gray walked around his block for about half an hour so he could put his thoughts about the whole situation in order. It was weird, fighting with a girlfriend. He only had a few encounters that lasted more than a couple of weeks and with Juvia, it was different. She made him feel happy with her crazy stunts; even though sometimes she went overboard and smothered him with care, even then, it was nice.  
  
She was different.  
  
During his walk and in the midst of his frustration, the Alpha stopped and bought a pack of cigarettes, and was about to light up one when he found a bench to sit on. In the past Gray was a casual smoker, but decided to quit almost two years before, only doing it when too stressed – which, thank goodness wasn’t that often – but hadn’t smoke in a year, quickly finding a replacement for the nasty habit in Juvia’s arms.  
  
Yes, he was frustrated and angry but he should come home and face the problems instead of running, because Gray Fullbuster was not one to run away from troubles especially when she was not responsible for the harshness of her life or the fear of sharing her pain easily with someone else, even if that someone else was her boyfriend.  
  
Sighing, the Alpha threw the cigarettes on the trash; he should talk to his girlfriend like an adult and not fight like a child who wanted things at his own time and then smoke like a chimney so he could relieve the tension. It was difficult, but he had to accept the fact that she could have her secrets even if he hated it.  
  
He would need to tell her that he was more scared of being kept in the dark and losing her for an unknown enemy than bothered to let her keep her past to herself. For goodness sake’s, he knew she ran away from Phantom Lord when she was eighteen because she had enough with the abuse and he more than understood not recalling all the bad memories, but when her past came and knocked on their door, threatening to bring a man into their lives who wanted Juvia’s head on a silver platter, Gray very much wanted to know what the hell brought it up.  
  
And deep inside he worried he couldn’t protect her, and as her boyfriend, her companion, it was his job to ensure her safety.  
  
Gray got up from the bench and resumed his walk back to his apartment; better face her and get over the fighting so they could make a plan to deal with Jose, because he knew the man was coming to find her. Gajeel could’ve been safe since Juvia informed them that ‘Metalicana’ was dead, but Gray was certain that the man wasn’t going to sit by the sidelines while things resolved by themselves.  
  
Opening his apartment door, Gray called her name with caution, not entirely sure what he could expect since the only time they had been in trouble was the time when they realized they wouldn’t be marked.  
  
Frowning when no answer came, Gray stepped inside the kitchen and was about to search for his girlfriend when he noticed a piece of paper with a pen next to it right on the counter and he was certain that it wasn’t there earlier. Curious with what it was, the Alpha grabbed it, reading it – his heart almost stopped with its content.  
  
The note had just one word written on it: Sorry.  
  
Gray let the piece of paper fall and ran inside his apartment, searching for his girlfriend – even though he knew she was not inside – in every room and noticed that the bag with a few pieces of clothes she usually left inside his wardrobe was gone, the only evidence that Juvia was ever there was the fainting smell coming from the sheets on the bed.  
  
She was gone.  
  
And it was his fault.  
  
Ω  
  
“Gajeel, is Juvia with you?” Gray’s voice was filled with worry. After finding the note, the Alpha rang the doorman and asked if he saw Juvia leaving the building and when the man answered saying that the woman left after a few minutes Gray himself did, the dark haired Mage’s heart dropped. He had been gone from the apartment for almost forty minutes. So, his only hope was that his girlfriend decided to go and stay with her best friend, which was what she liked to do when upset.  
  
“What? No. Why?” Gajeel asked, confused with the call (it wasn’t like Gray called in a regular basis) and with the other man’s tone.  
  
“We met a few guys at the park this morning; ishvalian and one of them was Philip something…” Gray explained, while entering the elevator, so Gajeel could understand the situation.  
  
“Fuck! Red hair and about fifty years old?” When Gray made a sound of agreement, Gajeel swore loudly. “He is one of…”  
  
“I know who he is.”  
  
“And you are telling me that Juvia’s missing?” Gajeel’s worried voice came through the cellphone.  
  
“I got angry that she kept so many big things from me, I was stupid and left for a walk for half an hour to clear my head, just around the block, and when I came back she was gone.” The elevator arrived at the lobby of his building and Gray exited almost running to fetch his car so he could search Juvia around the town, which was not going to be an easy task. “Her backpack is not in my place anymore but I hoped that she could be with you.”  
  
“That stupid woman knows I’m at work today and would’ve arrived here in five minutes by cab.” Gajeel worked in a steel junkyard six days of the week and Juvia had visited enough times to know her way around it so she could go from Gray’s building and be there in fifteen minutes tops, and if she wasn’t there by then, it was likely that she wouldn’t be anytime soon.  
  
“Do you have any idea where she could be?” The Alpha’s stomach turned when he realized that Juvia could have ran away for real and the last thing they did was to fight because he got frustrated and angry. Only god would know what was going on inside her head and what she would be feeling about all that. And it took eight years for Jose’s men to find her by accident; Gray wouldn’t have a chance if she decided to really disappear.  
  
“No.” Gajeel groaned. “I mean… we have an emergency stash with new IDs and cash, in case we’re found and need to run. But she wouldn’t go alone; we always go together.”  
  
“Except that she told that Philip guy that Metalicana was dead and you have a Mate and baby on the way now.”  
  
“She told them I’m dead?” The man on the end of the line gasped in surprise. “That would make Jose’s men sole focus on her! She is an idiot.” Gray agreed and he was going to tell her that as soon as he could and then scold her for being a moron until his voice give in.  
  
“Gajeel, what was your plan? Where would she go after taking the ID and the cash?”  
  
“We had two routes: take the bus or taking the boat away from Magnolia.” Gajeel supplied and took a moment to think. “The bus station is close, I can check there.”  
  
“I’ll go to the marina. Call me when you find her.”  
  
“I may kick her ass if she really thought of running away without telling me.” Gajeel warned him and Gray nodded in agreement – he was not responsible for his actions too if he caught her and even then she tried to escape.  
  
“Be my guest.” It was a bit of an unspoken rule to let the other half of a Mage couple know if another Mage was inclined to have a fall out with the subject; nothing too harsh, of course. The funny part was that it only applied to marked couples, and Gajeel’s acknowledgement of their bond meant a lot, since Mages rarely recognized unmarked couples as real couples.  
  
Gray turned off the call and started his car, taking the fastest way to the marina. If she was really there, he had about fifteen minutes before she caught the next boat.  
  
Ω  
  
Juvia was inside de ferry, holding her bag and sitting on the floor, as the boat started to distance itself from the shore, taking her away from Magnolia and everything she held dear. The blunette dried her tears as she opened the fake passport she ordered eleven months before.  
  
Name: Ame Violet Snow  
  
It was going to be weird, be called ‘Ame’ instead of Juvia, since the former was the best identity she had so far, because Juvia had a life and deep inside, the blunette knew that as Ame, she would never have. For the photograph from the passport, Juvia had worn a black wig – she would need to dye her own locks later – and thick glasses.  
  
Well, it was alright. It was only for the last year that her hair returned to its original color anyways. The Omega had been blonde, brunette, deep black and even red hair at some point.  
  
Regen. Pluja. Vihm. Yu. Pluie. Kisa. All identities she had along the way and she never regret leaving those names behind because they were never her. The only time she could really be herself, her name was-  
  
“Juvia!” The blunette heard and looked around in confusion; she was sure imagining things: there was no way that the owner of the voice could be at the ferry with her, but there he was, walking in her direction and pushing a few people away from his way.  
  
“Gray-sama? What…?” The woman got up from the floor with a confused expression and before she realized it, her boyfriend was standing in front of her. “How…?  
  
“I called Gajeel he told me about your plan, it’s not important.” He took a breath, brushing her questions away. “You are leaving? You just left a note with one word written and then you are just leaving Magnolia?”  
  
Still surprised, Juvia sighed. “It’s… necessary.”  
  
“To go back to the running?” Gray raised an eyebrow in question, not completely believing her.  
  
“I have to go!” The Omega brushed her hair away from her face – the wind on the ferry was strong – and looked inside the man’s eyes. “They know where we are now and… we can’t run anymore; Juvia can’t run anymore. She can’t go on with changing names, jobs and lives; she’ll go crazy!” She took a deep breath. “And you can’t keep putting up with Juvia’s past, it’s rough and ugly and like you said: it is catching up.”  
  
“Juvia…”  
  
“Gajeel-kun is marked now, Levy-san is pregnant, he can’t run, but Juvia can take them off of his back and he can have a fighting change.” The woman whispered. “We… we are not marked.”  
  
“Don’t you dare say that.” Gray grabbed her waist when he saw that she was about to walk away from him. “Don’t you dare say that because we are not marked you can just leave me.”  
  
Juvia tried to make him unhandled her, but instead her hands wrapped around his. “And what do you want me to do, Gray-sama? Huh? Run to another town with you, a pregnant Levy, change all of our names and rebuild a life?” She shook her head. “You have no obligation with us and it’s too dangerous to…”  
  
Gray sighed and closed his eyes. “What I want doesn’t count?”  
  
“No, it doesn’t.” Juvia answered. “Nothing you or Gajeel-kun wants are being considerate here. It’s my life.”  
  
“I thought you were sharing your life with me.” The Alpha whispered as he opened his eyes. “I shouldn’t have reacted that way, Juvia. I am sorry, but I got frustrated and shouldn’t have left like I did.”  
  
“Gray-sama…” the blunette shook her head.  
  
“I was an idiot for leaving and I admit it, but you are even more idiot for leaving town like that.” Gray told her. “Imagine my surprise when I came home and you were not there.”  
  
That time Juvia really tried to take Gray’s hands from her waist, she would never go on with her plan if he was touching and talking to her like that. “Just… let me go.”  
  
Instead of letting her go, Gray hardened her grip on her. “What’s your plan after you leave?”  
  
She hesitated, but answered him in a whisper. “Run and if they ever get Juvia, make a deal. He can tell his men that he finally has me and say Gajeel died. Jose only needs one to make an example of.”  
  
“And you are offering yourself?” The Alpha frowned.  
  
“It’s Juvia’s turn to save Gajeel-kun. He has a life there.” The blunette shook her head.  
  
“Juv…”  
  
“I can’t run anymore!” She interrupted him with a louder voice, catching the attention of a few people around them, but the couple didn’t pay attention to them, more interested in their own little world. “I made up my mind and accepted my fate. You’ll find your mate and be happy, Gray-sama.”  
  
“No, I won’t!” Gray hissed. “Neither will Gajeel or Levy if you do this!”  
  
“Juvia has to try.” The Omega said in a pleading tone, trying to make him understand.  
  
“Stop being so selfish; you are only thinking about yourself and how this is going to make you feel better.” Gray said letting her waist go and passing a hand on his hair. “What if it was me who had the options of running away forever or going to the worst place of my life? A place you knew I’d suffer imaginable pain? Would you let me go?” Gray grabbed her wrist when the Omega stepped away from him.  
  
“Let me go.” Juvia whispered.  
  
“No.” He shook his head.  
  
“Let me go.” She repeated and Gray didn’t loosen his grip.  
  
“No.”  
  
“Please.” The woman begged weakly even though she didn’t really want him to release her.  
  
“We can fix this.”  
  
“Don’t you say that, because if you do, Juvia will believe it and if she does, she’ll want to stay and she can’t.” By that point she was crying openly, and Gray pulled her closer to his chest.  
  
“We can fix this.” The man said and Juvia hesitate to speak.  
  
“No one can fix it.”  
  
“We can try and succeed.” Gray guaranteed.  
  
“It’s pointless. They’ll come and catch all of Fairy Tail.” She argued.  
  
“If they do, we’ll gladly fight and win.” The Alpha counter argued.  
  
“I…”  
  
“Stay.” He said nicely and wrapped his arms around her waist, gently this time and Juvia almost melted with the gesture – Gray was rarely sweet, but when he took the time and actually tried to be, he truly was the sweetest. “Stay, otherwise when we arrive at... I don’t even know where we’ll port, I’ll put you over my shoulder like a child and bring you back to Magnolia, you know I will.” Even through her tears, Juvia managed to let out a small smile, but became serious not a moment later.  
  
“If you say that again and mean it, Juvia will stay; she will be selfish and she’ll stay.” The woman grabbed the collar of his shirt and waited for his answer with worry and hope at the same time and she didn’t know which sentiment was worse: because unfounded hope was torture.  
  
“We can do this or go down trying. Together.” The Alpha said with conviction.  
  
She grabbed his shirt harder, her blue eyes glowing with tears she was holding in as much as she could, even though a few stray or two had fallen.  
  
“We can do this?” Her voice trembled and a sparkle of hope started to multiply inside her.  
  
Gray cupped her face with his hands and let his forehead touch his. “Yes. Just stay.”  
  
“Oh, thank you.” She kissed his lips quickly right before hugging him tightly. “I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go.” She sobbed over and over again while clinging into him as if her life depended on it, while Gray hugged her back, with his face buried on her hair, smelling her scent. She was safe for now and it was that mattered.  
  
After a few minutes – after Gray petted her hair while she cried in relief – they wanted to sit, but all the seats of the ferry were taken, so the Alpha pulled Juvia to sit on the ground, the same place she was seated before. He seated and Juvia sit between his legs.  
  
“How did you find me?” Juvia asked leaning on him while Gray had his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. To anyone else, they would look just like an ordinary couple in a trip.  
  
“I called Gajeel when I came home and didn’t find you and he told me about your getaway plan and we split: he went to the bus station and I went to the marina. When I got there, the ferry was about to leave, thankfully I caught your scent and had time to buy a ticket and run here.” He told her, kissing her cheek in the process. “Look, you can tell me about your past or keep it to yourself. It was horrible, of course, or you wouldn’t be running and changing your name and I get that, I understand that you don’t want to re-live those memories.”  
  
“That’s not-” Juvia tried to cut him off, but Gray shushed her.  
  
“Listen to me, okay?” The woman nodded and rested her head against his chest. “Our fight was stupid, I realized after I calmed down and – listen to me very closely – just because I storm out of the room it will never mean that I am leaving for good. Ever.” Gray said. “I don’t like doing things like a hot headed moron, I like to cool off before making decisions, but today I got really angry with that bastard and then when I learned about your name I got…” He sighed. “I hate being like that, I hate losing it, but that’s what happens when people we care about are in danger and you… you were in danger today.”  
  
“What?” Juvia turned around to stare at him.  
  
“I wasn’t going with you today, for a moment there I was going to stay in bed and if I did, you would meet that bastard and his goons alone; you could fight those two deltas but Philip was strong and I was able to get him with the element of surprise and without worrying about the others.” Gray tighten his grip around the woman’s waist. “You could’ve been taken and no one would ever know what happened to you.”  
  
“Oh…” Juvia understood where he was getting at then.  
  
“Yeah.” The Alpha stayed in silence for a moment. “You were in danger today, more danger than I realized you could get yourself into and I almost wasn’t there to protect you. And I will protect you, you know that, right?”  
  
“Juvia wants to protect you too.” She whispered and that made Gray chuckled.  
  
“Well, aren’t we made for each other?” Juvia let out a giggle and the couple stayed in silence for a while as both stared at the sea. “Juvia?”  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“Where are we going?”  
  
Ω  
  
Mijora was a small town, but very pretty and had a few beaches to offer, so the place was frequently visited by tourists all year around. So, when Gray and Juvia left the ferry, the man carrying Juvia’s bag and his hand firmly on hers, people just assumed they were there for vacation, even though both of them were wearing their running clothes, Juvia put a t-shirt atop of the small top she used to run that morning and neither had time to change.  
  
“I’ll go ask when there’s a ferry back to Magnolia.” The blunette said, trying to take her hand from Gray’s for a moment.  
  
“Yeah, not gonna happen.” Gray rolled his eyes. “We are going to ask when there’s a ferry back to Magnolia; you are not leaving my sight.” The blunette didn’t argue and was very happy to have him by her side all the time (it has always been a fantasy of hers, really.)  
  
Once they arrived at the information booth, they learned that there wouldn’t be a ferry until the next morning because of the tide. After thanking the nice lady of the booth, the couple walked away and then stared at each other.  
  
“Well… I guess we stay the night.” Gray shrugged.  
  
“It’s noon, Gray-sama.” Juvia pointed out.  
  
“Oh, that’s true.” The Alpha looked surprised. “Holy shit, all that happened in one morning?” He groaned when he realized that only a morning had passed. “Let’s have lunch, then. I am starving and then I need clothes to change into because I will start to smell bad.” Juvia agreed; at least she had brought her overnight bag which had a change of clothes she could wear the next day. “We can find a hotel to stay for the night later.” The blunette nodded and Gray was about to walk when she stopped him.  
  
“Can Juvia borrow your phone, Gray-sama?” The man in question eyed her suspiciously and the Omega sighed. “Juvia is not calling for an extraction team or anything; you said that Gajeel-kun was searching for Juvia at the bus station, right? She will call to tell him she’s fine, I had to ditch my phone.”  
  
Gray grabbed the phone from his pocket and gave it to Juvia, after finding his number she called her best friend, who answered in the second ring.  
  
“Where the hell have you been? Did you find her?” Gajeel’s voice was breathless and worried.  
  
“Juvia is fine, Gajeel-kun.” The blunette said quietly, holding her boyfriend’s hand.  
  
“You stupid woman! What the fuck were you thinking?”  
  
“Gaj…” She tried, but the man cut her off.  
  
“I am going to find you and I am going to kill you! Forget Jose, you’ll have to deal with me!” He yelled and Juvia actually had to put the cellphone away from her ear. “Give the phone to Gray. Now.”  
  
Knowing better than trying to argue with her best friend, the blunette shrugged and gave the phone back to its owner. “He wants to speak to you, Gray-sama.”  
  
The man nodded and grabbed the phone, putting it close to his ear. “Gajeel.” He said as a greeting.  
  
“Just wanted to make sure you were with her. She’s sneaky enough to have gotten your number somehow.” Juvia heard that and rolled her eyes.  
  
“That’s true.” Gray answered and the blunette looked a little offended by it. “Look, we’re in Mijora, I had to get on the boat to catch her and we decided to stay for the day and get the first ride tomorrow.”  
  
“Fine.” Gajeel sighed. “Just don’t let her out of your sight.”  
  
Gray stared at Juvia intently. “That won’t be a problem: until this Jose is dealt with, she’s not going anywhere.” The man handed the phone back to his girlfriend.  
  
“Gajeel-kun, Juvia is not leaving again.” She said and heard Gajeel snort by the other side of the line.  
  
“Sorry if I don’t believe you after the stunt you put today.”  
  
“You should go home and stay with Levy-san, Gajeel-kun.” Juvia told him softly. “Tell her about the threat and just stay by her side. We can talk about everything else tomorrow.”  
  
Gajeel took a moment to answer her. “Fine. Call me once you arrive in Magnolia.”  
  
“Sure. Bye, Gajeel-kun.” She ended the call and returned the phone to Gray, who asked if they could go find something to eat. Nodding and offering a smile, they walked from the marina, still holding hands.  
  
Ω  
  
After eating and shopping clothes for Gray, the couple found a nice inn to stay, the couple welcomed the room like it was a god’s sent gift (even though – as Gray pointed out – the drapes and the bed cover were unnecessarily pink and with ribbons); the bed looked cozy enough and the prospect of having a shower cheered both of them up.  
  
Gray claimed the shower first while Juvia prepared the bed so they could take a nap – they were emotionally drained after the morning troubles – before heading out to have dinner later and start to make plans of what to do with the imminent appearance of Jose.  
  
After Gray, Juvia took her own shower, considering her options in the matter. Running was no longer on the table, seeing that her boyfriend would follow her alongside with her best friend, putting in jeopardy her attempt to keep them safe. So, all she could do was fight back to protect not only them, but the other members of Fairy Tail.  
  
She could hear the TV on back in the bedroom; Gray was watching it while waiting for her to finish her shower. Juvia thought about everything they went through for the past ten months and not once he gave up on her; not when he found out she had a horrible sexual history, not even when they knew they weren’t marked, not when she ran away: he still wanted her and was willing to face an unknown enemy to help her just because.  
  
Juvia did not deserve him.  
  
Turning the water off, the Omega dried her body and hair the best she could and put one of the dressing gowns the inn offered, since she didn’t pack sleeping clothes on her overnight bag – she usually didn’t sleep with clothes when with Gray or would just use one of his t-shirts (which almost always led to a nudity status not too long after) –, and stepped out of the bathroom. The blunette saw Gray sitting on ‘his’ side of the bed only wearing his (new) underwear and watching TV with a bored expression, but when he noticed her standing by the door, he turned it off.  
  
The drapes were closed, leaving the room with almost no light so they could rest for a while.  
  
“Are you standing there all day long?” Gray raised an eyebrow and asked when she didn’t go to lie down on the bed by his side. With hesitant steps the woman approached the bed, but instead of going to her side, she sat in front of him, keeping her eyes on the floor. Worried with her behavior, Gray asked. “Is everything okay?”  
  
“I… I want to tell you.” She whispered. “About everything that happened to me.”  
  
“Oh.” The Alpha breathed. “Look, Juvia… I get it, okay? It was insensitive of me to pressure you to tell me about it. Who you were before doesn’t matter because I know who you are. You are Juvia, and that’s it.” Gray said in a matter-of-fact tone and shrugged. “Today I got blindsided and lashed out on you and wasn’t fair. You don’t need to tell me anything because I already decided that it doesn’t matter anymore.”  
  
She wanted to cry with those words. “And that’s why Juvia wants to tell you.” She looked up to him. “You deserve to know and Juvia wants to tell you; no more secrets.”  
  
Gray hesitated but nodded. “If you want to tell me, I’ll listen.”  
  
The blunette took a deep breath. “Like you figured it out, Juvia’s name is not Juvia; it’s Stormi Rainfall and I’m from Geyger, Ishval. It’s always raining there, so most of the last names come from it. I don’t care for it, but Mother loved the rain, though. She even named me Stormi because it was raining during my birth – which was not unusual – and that’s why all the aliases I used were somewhat related to rain, even if I didn’t like it.” She shrugged. “They were both Omegas like me but unlikely other omegas, they had steady jobs and we even had a house of our own.  
  
“They died when I was eight; it was a car accident, you see?” Juvia looked sadly to her boyfriend who was watching her intently. “They were returning from a Guild meeting while I was at school. It was horrible.” Gray nodded, recalling exactly what it was for him when he lost his own parents at the same age as she did. He was lucky that Ur found him and knew that Juvia wasn’t as lucky. “Neither had any relatives alive so they named a guardian in case something happened to them. They named the Master of our Guild: Jose Porla.”  
  
Gray’s eyes widened with the revelation. “What?”  
  
“He is a good actor.” Juvia said. “He tricked my parents into it because he knew they set up a trust fund for me in case something happened plus the insurance money. They were very smart for country Omegas.” The woman stopped for a moment. “Jose had full power over the money and by the time I would be able to access it, in my eighteenth birthday, it was all gone.” One of Gray’s eyebrows rose. “I lived with him for almost five years, sharing rooms with girls – most I never saw again – and thought it was normal, since he told everyone that he was helping them. But Juvia stayed.”  
  
“Because you had the money.” Gray said.  
  
“Yes.” She nodded. “It was pretty standard: Juvia hardly saw him, she went to school, there were housemaids who would give her food. When Juvia was thirteen, she had her first heat.” It was almost a whisper, but Gray caught. “Then, it started.” The blunette gulped. “The second day of the heat, he slipped inside my room, told the other girl to go away. It was awful, hurt a lot and I had no idea of what was happening.” Juvia could see Gray’s hands grabbing the sheet of the bed with force and she could see that he was upset, but she started the story and would end it. “The girl, can’t remember her name, came in later and explained to me that Omegas served Alphas and then explained what Jose did.  
  
“He would come to the room once or twice a week afterwards.” Juvia sighed. “He put in my mind that no one would believe me if I told and that he would kill me… There were so many threats for so long that Juvia never told a soul about it. The kids from my school, who already thought I was weird didn’t even approached me because I looked horrible.”  
  
“Juvia…” Gray tried but there wasn’t much he could say to soothe her.  
  
“It never truly ended until Juvia was eighteen. Jose is not just a rapist, Gray-sama: he also shared his ‘girls’.” The man frowned and Juvia explained. “Twice a year he organized fights between Mages. The girls were the prizes. Whoever won would choose an Omega to be with for six months – Jose said that it was to see if any of us were mates with the men. Juvia was picked five times.”  
  
“What?” Gray’s jaw was hanging in surprise. “What do you mean ‘choose to be with for six months’?” Juvia just stared at him and shrugged in response and the Alpha knew that he understood it right.  
  
“As you know, Mages get bored quickly if the partner isn’t their mate and then returned me home soon. The ones who went to school like me couldn’t lose a day not to raise suspicions and the men hated that, so… Juvia would be back to Jose’s house in two months or so. He’s come by their houses in a regular basis to check on his merchandise, though.”  
  
“I thought…” Gray managed to say. “When you told me I thought that…” He couldn’t complete the sentence, but Juvia understood what he was talking about: he had thought that those men only had sex with her once, but reality was much worse, as always. Just like many children being abused in all world, it was never just a one-time occurrence and Juvia had been one of those children.  
  
“I remember all of their names and faces even when I tried to erase them.” Juvia looked to Gray’s hands, which had its knuckles white with all the force he was putting in controlling his anger. “Marcus, Philip, Loren, Kincaid and Bora. Some were less awful – they let me watch tv, can you imagine thinking that something as simple as TV could make her feel less horrible?– and others were a nightmare, like Philip. Jose actually had to rescue me because he liked to cause pain and even broke my leg one time. And that broken leg made me lose one of the fights, since no one would want a broken girl.”  
  
“I had no idea.” Gray whispered and Juvia put a hand above one of his.  
  
“No one but Gajeel-kun knows this.” She informed him. “And now you do too. The girls know that something happened, and they think it was one time and it was over. This isn’t something Juvia tells easily.”  
  
“That’s why you were so upset with the mention of fraternizations.” The Alpha realized. “Because when you were a kid that meant…”  
  
“To be taken away from an awful place to an even worse one.” The blunette nodded. “While the men fight to have the right to choose a girl, we had to watch and it terrified us to see men turn into mindless creatures.”  
  
“And when you were in heat…”  
  
“Those mindless creatures surfaced.” She completed the sentence. “Juvia didn’t get it too bad once she discovered about the aspirin – she had to take it hidden – and pills. Some of the girls got pregnant and… it was horrible to see them in pain after one of Jose’s men give her medicine to take care of it.” The Omega shuddered. “When Juvia heard in health class that there were pills to prevent it, she would keep the money for lunch to buy them. It was the only thing she could control. And every time Juvia was late, it was horrible.” Juvia took a deep breath. “When I met Gajeel – Metalicana Jr. back then –, he was fighting.”  
  
“You told me that he never…”  
  
“He had just arrived in Geyger.” Juvia hurry to explain. “He thought it was a normal fighting, that there was only money involved: it was how he got by. When Jose told him that he could have one of his girls for six months, he looked disgusted, actually.” The blunette took a moment to recall the meeting. “After staring us for a couple of minutes, he chose me.  
  
“His apartment was such a dump.” The Omega shook her head slightly. “And when he didn’t come to me right away… it was so weird. I remember that he said something like ‘I don’t screw little girls who don’t even want me’. And since he couldn’t refuse to have me at his house otherwise it would make him look bad to them as an Alpha, I stayed.  
  
“He worked a lot and Juvia had nothing to do, so she cleaned and learned a few recipes by watching TV. After a month we started to talk and we became friends after a while.” Juvia smiled sadly. “I would’ve liked to meet him under other circumstances, of course, but he saved me from there.” Gray asked how and the blunette told him. “It was his idea to leave; he never stayed in one place for too long anyways and he asked me to come. He said that he had chosen me because I was the only one who still had fight inside me that night.  
  
“I agreed to leave because I had tasted a little of freedom and didn’t want to lose it.” She dried a tear. “It would be crueler to go back to my cage than to have another man forcing me. We planned to leave, but… I was stupid.” She sighed. “I wanted to hurt Jose, to make him regret what he did, and there was only one thing that could get his attention: money. We needed some to go away and he had stolen all of mine…” Juvia cried. “We could have gone without it; it would be fine, but… I was so angry and had held so many feelings inside for ten years so… I knew where he kept the money and took it all.  
  
“He did get angry; so angry that he sent everyone to look for us. If we just had gotten away by ourselves… He wouldn’t have done it and we could’ve stopped this a long time ago.” She sobbed, letting the tears fall. Gray wrapped his arms around her and the woman hugged him tightly. “It was so stupid to try to take revenge.”  
  
“Juvia.” He said. “You were hurt and you were young, of course you weren’t thinking straight. I am surprised you didn’t kill the bastard in his sleep.” Gray kissed the top of her head. “I did something stupid as a kid too; remember Ur?” The blunette nodded, still hiding her face on his chest. “I was seeking for revenge too and screwed up. We all have regrets and it took me a while to see and accept that and I could live my life, but we can get there...” He sighed. “You are free now and I’ll make sure that you continue it that way.”  
  
“Thank you.” Juvia said, looking up to her boyfriend. “You helped a lot, you know?”  
  
“Me?” Gray frowned and she nodded.  
  
“Yes. It’s been eight years since Gajeel-kun and Juvia ran away from there, and Juvia thought she was all better, but… you fixed Juvia even when she didn’t know she was still broken.” The Omega dried a tear. “Juvia had no idea she just existed until you came along and made her live. You showed that men can be good, that it’s okay to be happy. You make Juvia’s stomach flutter with butterflies, you make my heart beat faster when I see you, you make me want to be better.” Unconsciously Gray’s arms around her tighten as the woman put a hand on his cheek and with a boost of confidence she said what had been inside her heart for quite some time. “I love you.”  
  
The blunette saw his eyes widen and his body freeze as the words came out of her mouth and for a few moments, they just stared at each other.  
  
“I… I…” The man stuttered. “I… can’t...”  
  
Juvia smiled. “It’s okay. This is just something I had to tell you, no hidden intentions this time; no lies and no secrets, right?” She kissed his cheek and pushed his arms away from her so she could lie down on her side of the bed.  
  
Once she did, Gray seemed to finally snap out of it and carefully wrap his arms around her once again as she rested her head on his chest, listening to his fast heartbeat. After a few moments, he relaxed and started to caress her hair absent minded.  
  
Sighing happily, Juvia snuggled close to him, happy to finally say everything she kept inside for so long and meanwhile, she felt that Gray was in deep thought and left him to it; it was too much information.  
  
It took him almost ten minutes to take action, Juvia was almost falling asleep when she felt Gray touch her chin, bringing her lips closer to his.  
  
Gray kissed her slowly and Juvia sighed happily with his tenderness; he always seemed to know exactly what to do to make her feel better. The blunette’s hands went to his hair, caressing his scalp in a rhythm that seemed to please him.  
  
She felt he hesitantly undo the knot of her dressing gown without unlock their lips and slip a hand inside so he could touch her ribs tenderly and Juvia didn’t understand why he seemed to be so hesitant with their moment of intimacy.  
  
Slowly, the hands that were previously on his hairs trailed their way down until they touched his back, caressing his skin tenderly and when they needed to stop kissing to breathe for a few moments, the Omega kissed his jaw over and over again in a lazy manner.  
  
“What brought this up?” Juvia asked between kisses, seeing Gray above her.  
  
“I… don’t know.” The Alpha whispered and the blunette stopped her ministrations on him to stare at him worriedly.  
  
“Hey… are you okay?” She put a hand on his cheek, her thumb caressing him slowly.  
  
“I’m trying to…” Gray hid his face in the crook of her neck, kissed her there and then sighed when Juvia returned her hand to his hair, just the way he liked her to when he was upset about something. “I want to show you…”  
  
“What is it?” the woman asked in a whisper.  
  
“You told me and I can’t…” He whispered back and for a moment, his girlfriend was confused with what he was talking about and then finally understood what he was saying: Gray was uncomfortable because she said the three little words and he couldn’t.  
  
“Juvia doesn’t expect you to say it back, Gray-sama.” She chuckled. “That’s the beauty of love; you can do it on your own and still be happy.” The blunette kissed the top of his head. “If you like Juvia, it’s good enough.”  
  
“But I don’t just like you.” The Alpha kissed her neck again, and again. “I just can’t name it.”  
  
“What are…?” Juvia gasped when his teeth found a weakening spot on her neck, one Gray knew it could make her stop thinking straight. “What are you talking about?”  
  
“I’ll show you.” Gray kissed her lips lightly and the hand that was placed right above her ribcage moved the dressing gown out of the way, revealing her right breast. “I can try to show you.” Before the woman could say a word, he kissed her again, sweetly and without a bit of hurry, like their kisses usually were and, of course, Juvia kissed him back, matching his movements.  
  
The Omega’s hands placed on his hair went down to his shoulders trying to bring him closer to her body as Gray pushed the other side of her dressing gown out of the way so their upper bodies were touching and both moaned with the sensation.  
  
Breaking the kiss Juvia looked into his eyes, still confuse with what he was trying to accomplish but kept it to herself while she felt Gray start to trail on her jaw and neck with his lips in a way he never did, as if he was trying to remember and caress every inch of her body at the same time.  
  
Juvia felt him grab and grind his hips on her, feeling his growing erection consequently turning her on even more, but that Gray didn’t seem to be in any rush to have his way with her and more focused on just touch her and it was all just fine for the woman for a couple of minutes, with him kissing, sucking and nipping her cleavage and breasts, but after a while, it was more like torture; Gray was not in a hurry, but Juvia was.  
  
“Gra-Gray-sama.” She moaned, putting her hands on his hair as he gave her flat stomach open mouthed kisses. And he was going too slowly for her taste, but it felt so good that she didn’t even care, just waited to see what he was trying to show her.  
  
One of the hands which was holding her hip moved down to stay between her legs, touching lightly and hesitantly as if he didn’t know what to do – even though Gray was not a stranger to pleasure her that way – and Juvia found it odd, so she moved her hands to grab his face and brought it closer to hers, kissing his lips as lazily as he did it earlier, trying to show him that whatever he wanted to do, she was onboard.  
  
Feeling bolder, the Alpha started to touch her sex, feeling that she was already wet and prepared for him, as usual. She panted and moaned with his touch and with his mouth on her breasts, sucking and biting her nipples exactly like he always did, but Juvia felt different – the whole atmosphere was different.  
  
“G-Gray-s…” She moaned when a digit entered her, followed not too long after by another one while he touched her clit in circle patterns with his thumb. “Th-this isn’t eno-enough.” She informed and Gray groaned in agreement. “I-I-I need you. Please.”  
  
He nodded and got up, earning a groan of frustration from the woman, and he took his underwear as fast as he could while the Omega took the dressing gown off and threw on some random spot on the floor. Gray kneeled on the bed and Juvia did the same, so they were face to face.  
  
The Alpha put a hand on the back of her neck, kissing her hungrily, taking her breath away and making her feel dizzy. All of her skin burned by then and anywhere he touched was on fire – Juvia would be consumed by it happily.  
  
Gray’s other hand went to her hip, guiding her to follow him as he sat on the bed and she straddled him, her sex brushing on his. He let go of her neck and grabbed the other side of her hip. Breaking the kiss to gasp for air, Juvia looked down just in time to see him positioning himself under her, teasing her with the tip of his shaft so she could get wetter (unnecessary at that point). “Please, Gray-sama.”  
  
Lowering and entering her was a torture, because the Alpha was doing it in his own time. It was so painfully slow that Juvia thought that she was being somewhat punished, but once he was full and throbbing inside her, she knew that it was far from the truth.  
  
“Juvia.” Gray gasped, still holding her on place. “Move. Slowly.” She nodded and started to follow his instructions, raising and lowering her hips in a pace he helped her create by guiding her while she moved – while Gray just looked at her face.  
  
A few minutes of it made both pant and moan, they shared a few lazy kisses and Juvia was certain that Gray was ready to speed things up – he liked to start slow from time to time, but it never last long –, when, he turned them around so she had her back on the bed and he was one more time on the top.  
  
She expected him to start to pound on her, but instead, he continued his torture as he kissed all the skin his lips could reach and his hips moved in a slow rhythm; his sex sliding in and out easily from her, filling her and then emptying her as if he had all the time in the world to just stay with her.  
  
The frustration was starting to build up on Juvia, her whole body on fire while he moved, and the only thing the blunette could do was to hold on to him and moan.  
  
“Understand.” He said close to her ear, after minutes of slow torture. “You need to understand.”  
  
Juvia barely caught the words, but when she did, she had no idea of what he was talking about, only to finally understand a few moments later: Gray was not one for words when it went down about feelings, his actions always showed what he had inside. When they were together with their friends, he would get a little distant and barely acknowledging her presence, even though she knew he kept tabs on her; but he would smile at her when no one was looking, or hold her hand under the table while looked utterly bored. When they were alone in his apartment or hers – or when they would go out to eat –, he would laugh easily, let her pamper him without blushing and let her snuggle on him all she wanted.  
  
All that time when Juvia thought he was closing up, he was actually opening.  
  
Gray hated public displays of affection and tried to show the world that he was detached, but everyone who knew him was aware that he loved his friends/family more than anything and would protect them fiercely. Even so, he had a rough way of showing his care, but with her, at that moment… he was treating her like the most precious thing he ever touched.  
  
He was telling her how different she was. Juvia was not just his friend anymore, not just a lover either. She was something more.  
  
The tears start to fall and Gray kissed them away tenderly, whispering something while still moving his hips against hers and Juvia never felt as happy as she was then; they were not just taking care of their bodies needs by having sex.  
  
For the first time their feelings for each other were raw and showing. For the first time they were showing their true selves, with no barriers, no masks, no secrets and no lies. For the first time, they were making love.  
  
“I understand.” Juvia sobbed and tried to bring his body even closer to hers. Gray turned his head to stare at her, eyes glowing with want. “I love you too.” She whispered and the man stopped completely, frozen, staring at her with confusion. “It’s okay to do it.” She touched his cheek tenderly and the blunette couldn’t help but think that she probably looked like a mess, crying the way she did – even though they were tears of joy. “You don’t have to say it, because I know now.” For a moment he stared at her until something resembling understanding passed through his face. “As long as you show it to me now and then, I’ll know.”  
  
Gray opened his mouth to say something, but Juvia crossed her ankles on his butt and brought him closer and by default made him go deeper inside her and both sighed in approval.  
  
“Please, keep showing it to me.” Juvia moved her hips and Gray moved his in sync. “Show me.”  
  
And he did; Gray kept touching her with care, taking sighs and moans of pleasure from her while he made sounds of agreement and it was so different, it was as if he was touching deep in her soul, knowing her every thought and feelings. While they moved together, the Omega let out tears of happiness and contentment.  
  
His hands were everywhere, touching and it felt like heaven; all Juvia could do when, after a few minutes, the buildup on her lower stomach started to boil was to cling on to him as if he was her lifeline, and when his thrusts became erratic, Juvia knew he was getting close.  
  
Gray started to say her name over and over again Juvia clawed her hand on his back, asking him to go faster and deeper – which he complied. It felt so good to make love to him, especially once they finally knew how the other felt, it made the experience much better, like she never felt before.  
  
“Juvia.” He groaned and by instinct she knew what he needed, because she needed too: the biting. After their first temporary bond they had done it again four times, the connection needed to be deep to have one and Juvia knew that this one was going to be the strongest yet.  
  
The blunette felt her teeth get longer, a sensation she got used to, but there was something more happening: her hand started to burn so she moved it to take a better look, but instead of doing it, she touched his chest and at the same time, she felt the same burning on her thigh when Gray grabbed it, but the sensation was long forgotten when the need to bite him became too strong.  
  
“Gray, please.” She said his name without the suffix that time and seemed appropriate somehow and, synchronized, their teeth sank into each other’s skin and, Juvia felt the knot and the warmth of him spilling inside of her and it took her just a moment to follow him and feel the pleasure pass through her veins.  
  
It was better than anything that ever happened to her in her whole life; it was something she never thought it could happen, it was the last piece of a puzzle she didn’t even know existed and now, with Gray, with having feelings for Gray and having no lies between them anymore, it was complete.  
  
Being there, with Gray in her arms, it was the moment Juvia knew she was fully healed, fully fixed and that she could show him her weakness and he would be there to help her out and protect her. She knew she could show him her strength and have him fighting by her side. Never alone anymore.  
  
The weight of his body on hers was very nice and, after a few moments of trying to catch her breath while Gray still hadn’t move from on top of her, still inside her because of the knot, and would still be for a few minutes more. She caressed his back up and down, letting out a giggle, she kissed his cheek while his face was buried on the crook of her neck.  
  
“That was so... Can’t even…” Juvia whispered and he groaned in agreement. “It was so…” She tried to find a word for it. “…special.”  
  
Without detach theirs hips from each other’s, Gray rolled them over so they were on their sides, legs and arms intertwined, soon they were kissing again, in a very sweet way.  
  
“I didn’t know that…” Gray said with amazement clear in his eyes.  
  
“How many more amazing things are you going to keep showing me, Gray Fullbuster?” The blunette whispered while touching his jaw.  
  
“Right back at ya.” He smiled and Juvia couldn’t help but to notice that even though he would get relaxed when they were alone, that time he was completely without masks; that was the real Gray, and he was happy, she could feel through their temporary bond. “When I think there are any wonders left…”  
  
“Juvia wants to stay here forever.” She sighed.  
  
“We can’t.” Gray kissed her forehead. “We need to face reality.”  
  
The Omega was about to say something when she heard her boyfriend groan as a small orgasm hit him and her inner muscles contracted around his shaft. They could talk later.  
  
Ω  
  
After a small nap in Gray’s arms – the day had been full of surprises –, Juvia woke up just to find him staring at her with a serious face, but his eyes betrayed his expression, since they were sparkling in happiness.  
  
“Hello.” Juvia pulled him to a small peck on the lips.  
  
“Did you notice something different in me?” The Alpha asked and the woman frowned in confusion and looking over his body fast and seeing him entirely normal, she looked up to his face and asked what was he talking about. Gray smiled, a true smile. “Look at my chest.”  
  
And there it was, right on his right chest, a small brownish mark that looked a lot like a snowflake with a raindrop inside (which made no sense to her, of course). Raising a hand to touch it, the frown deepened. “This wasn’t here earlier.”  
  
“No, it wasn’t.”  
  
“Then… what…?” Juvia was asking, but stopped when the man raised the sheet which was covering her, so they could see her right leg, in which held a mark similar mark as the one in Gray’s chest. “How did…? When did it…? Why…?”  
  
“I am fairly certain that we, Juvia Lockser, are marked now.”  
  
Juvia shook her head in denial. “It can’t be; we’ve been together for ten months, the time for marking is gone. This can’t be it.”  
  
“It’s not a rule, you know. There are cases of couples who took longer to mark each other.” Gray informed her calmly. “We are one of them, I guess.”  
  
“But… but…” Juvia looked down to her leg and then to his chest and the markings were exactly the same. “If we… if this is the bonding… that means that we…” The blunette touched his chest, feeling her heart beat faster and her eyes sting. “That means that we are marked, that you are my Mate.”  
  
“I believe so.” Gray shrugged.  
  
“Why are you so calm about it?” Juvia asked, still trying to believe in what was happening; maybe she was dreaming, right?  
  
“I don’t know why I would panic: it’s you; and like I showed” he emphasized the word. “you earlier, if it is you, it’s alright by me.” Gray rolled his eyes. “Honestly, Juvia, I was expecting a little more of yelling from your part with our marking after all this time of trying. I mean, you didn’t even…” As if the facts finally sank in, she let out a squeal of happiness. “…squealed- and there it is.”  
  
“I knew it!” She threw herself on him, almost making both fall off the bed. And then, between tears and kisses all over his face, she said, happily. “Even if this never happened, I knew it was you.”  
  
Gray laughed and grabbed her face so he could kiss her properly, in which she returned eagerly, still crying, happily. “I knew it too.”  
  
“I love you.” Juvia said with a big smile, drying her tears with the back of her hands while she lied down on top of her Mate.  
  
“I… I…” Gray took a deep breath and touched her cheek tenderly. “Yeah… Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY ARE MARKED, DAMMIT!!! Yeah, I am happy, because I was thinking if I would mark them or not and when I was writing this, I was like: ‘what the hell, they deserve it after everything!’ So… I did it! I hope it was fine and not too cliché.  
> Unfortunately child abuse and sex traffic is an awful piece of reality and only a few girls manage to escape it. I don’t want to flame anything, just want to show a little bit of reality and how these men and women who were abused are so strong that many manage to have somewhat a normal life after realizing that it was not their fault, it was those bastards’. And it’s even more beautiful when they find someone who knows it all and accept the fight as their own.  
> Anyway, I hope you didn’t find this too tacky.  
> By the way, Juvia’s previously identities were based on the word “rain” from many languages (German: Regen, Catalan: Pluja, Estonian: Vihm, Chinese: Yu, French: Pluie, Serbian: Kisa and Japanese: Ame).


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The finale! It was an honor to be here with you for the past six months and to receive such wonderful feedback. You are the best readers ever. Thank you very much for the support.

When the ferry arrived at the marina the next day, Gajeel was waiting for them – the couple called him before leaving – and for a moment, Juvia thought he would smack her, but all her older friend did was scowl at her and then grab her by the shoulder, yelling ‘Are you fucking crazy?’ and ‘I’ll kill you, chop to pieces and then feed you to wolves’, plus many other types of threats.  
  
Juvia, after listening for his rants, got free and just hugged the much bigger man, who stopped mid-sentence, looking pretty baffled that she was hugging him, but instead of pushing her away, Gajeel sighed and hugged her back.  
  
“We’re at it for eight years, stupid rain woman.” He told her. “How could you just run off like that?”  
  
“Sorry.” The Omega whispered and let him go. “Juvia panicked.”  
  
“Fuck you.” Gajeel pointed a finger at her. “Don’t give me that bullshit.”  
  
“Gajeel.” Gray stepped closer – so far he left them to resolve their problems without his interference. “She’s not going anywhere without me.” The long haired man narrowed his eyes towards Gray, who pushed down his shirt’s collar and showed the mark. “It happened last night.”  
  
“You are mates?” Gajeel was surprised. “But… you’ve been together for more than six months.”  
  
“We know.” Grabbing her mate’s hand, Juvia smiled. “We were surprised too.”  
  
“Congratulations, I guess.” Her best friend shrugged and then stared at Gray with narrowed eyes. “I’m still watching ya, punk.”  
  
“Really? You want to do this right now?” Gray rolled his eyes. “We’ll probably have that bastard Jose here tomorrow and you want to tell me that you know fifty types of martial arts.”  
  
“Oh, I only know one style: kick ass.”  
  
“Bring. It. On.”  
  
”Alpha males.” It was Juvia’s turn to roll her eyes. “Guys, let’s put this aside for a minute? Juvia has a plan.” She bit her lower lip in apprehension, knowing full well that those two wouldn’t like it very much. Or at all. Both could be quite protective.  
  
The men stopped staring at each other with defiance and moved their gaze to the Omega girl. “Why do I have the feeling that your plan is going to be stupid and potentially dangerous?” Gray asked.  
  
#  
  
When their friends received the news about the new marked couple, they just stared at them for a few moments, trying to understand the fact that a couple, who passed the marking time, was finally bonded for life.  
  
Of course that the silence didn’t last long, before the whole guild start to cheer and be happy about them. Gray hated the fact that they and their relationship was the center of attention, but it was easier to tell everyone at the same time, plus, for Juvia’s plan for the next day needed to have everyone in the loop.  
  
The girls pulled her along to hug and congratulate the bonding, while Gray watched from afar, glad that their friends were at least taking her mind away from Jose and her past for a few minutes – every moment she didn’t think about that bastard was a win.  
  
“I can’t believe that we have one of the ‘special couples’ here.” Mirajane giggled while hugging Juvia. “I am so happy for you; I knew your love was real. Gray isn’t much of a talker, but we all could see it in his eyes.”  
  
“Thank you.” The Omega smiled and then, from across the room, found Gray’s eyes on hers.  
  
It was like as time stopped and she couldn’t breathe. It was hot and cold, up was down and the lights seemed brighter, and everything was right as long as they were together. It was everything she felt when her eyes laid upon him for the first time, ten times fold. Juvia understood then that what happened to her when they met: strong pheromones and attraction for some, but Juvia Lockser knew better: it was love at first sight.  
  
The blunette heard once that ‘love is like a slow burn’, but in her case, they got it wrong: just because her ‘burn’ was quick, it didn’t make her feelings any less special. Did people believed in love at the first sight anymore? She didn’t know and she didn’t care. It was nice, to love.  
  
It was a mess that couldn’t be sorted, a heart which couldn’t stop beating fast, a dry mouth and the silly babbling. It was such a normal thing for a young woman who had such abnormal life. It made her feel more alive than a thing as essential as breathing never did.  
  
Juvia would fight for that; she found her place in the world.  
  
#  
  
“I still don’t like this.” Gray said the next day after they arrived at the guild. They had a plan and their friends agreed to help out as much as they could. When Gray explained that a man from Juvia’s past was coming back to take her away and hurt her, they all got fired up to help and protect the Omega. Gray decided to only tell the details of Juvia’s past to some people – no one else needed to know about the horrors she went through. “There’s still time to change the plan to something safer.”  
  
“This is the best way, Gray-sama.” The blunette sighed – they had been having that conversation since she inform him about the plan she came up with; whether he liked it or not, it was the right approach for everyone involved. “We talked about this.”  
  
“It doesn’t matter, it’s still dangerous.” Gray grabbed her gently by the wrist to prevent her from going further inside the guild. “You want to be alone with Jose after running from him all this time. Only now you had the courage to stand up for yourself… I’m worried that when you see him, you’ll return to being afraid.” The Alpha put a hand over his chest, where underneath his shirt, there was their marking. “This means that I’ll do anything for you, Juvia. Anything. And I’d rather die than put you anywhere near that bastard.”  
  
The Omega put a hand over the one on his chest. “And Juvia would rather die than let you do something you would regret.” She tip toed to give him a peck on the lips. “We shouldn’t have his shadow over us, and after today, we won’t.”  
  
“If he even thinks of touching you…” Gray left the threat in the air, but Juvia understood it: her mate would kill Jose or die trying. “You are my priority, Juvia. I would love to help to free the other girls, but you are my priority – it’s stronger than me, the will to protect a mate – and whatever happens, I am protecting you.”  
  
“It won’t come to that.” She assured the man. “We have a good plan and everything’s in place. Now let’s get inside, Jose probably already has eyes everywhere and he’ll only come if he’s sure I’m here.”  
  
#  
  
The day was tense for the guild members; none of them was too keen of waiting action come to them: they liked to run wild at will, but as was explained to them, it was very important to keep calm until Jose arrived.  
  
Natsu was the most restless of them all and the only person – aside from Lucy, who was ‘t there (she and Levy were in a safe location, since Gajeel wouldn’t allow his mate to get anywhere close to Jose while she was carrying their child) – that could tame him somehow, was Erza.  
  
Gray looked to his side, where his mate was, paler than ever, sat, staring a hole at the ground and the man couldn’t help but think that Natsu and Gajeel were lucky to have their mates in a safe location while he had to watch his own face the terror of her life all by herself.  
  
All he wanted was to rip Jose’s throat open for all the pain he caused. The bastard had it coming.  
  
But no, going entirely against his instinct to just hide Juvia and face the enemy like a male should, Gray knew that even though he was deep in the fight now, it was her battle and she should be the one to behead Jose, it didn’t matter in what sense.  
  
“Guys.” Max, a Delta, called from his spot close to the window. “I… I think he’s here.”  
  
Juvia’s body tensed, her eyes widen and she held her breath. Gray grabbed one of her hands. “We can still call this whole thing off so you can go home and we’ll take it from here. But I guarantee you this: no one is taking you.”  
  
Gajeel took a few steps to stay by his best friend’s side. “You don’t need to prove anything, Juvia.” He put a hand on her shoulder in one of his few attempts to comfort someone. “No one will think less of you if you want to go home.”  
  
“Oh, Juvia wants to go home so bad.” The blunette took a deep breath. “This is terrifying. I’ve been running for so long and now he finally found us.” She, then, raised her head. “But he caught on because I let it and this has to end. One way or the other.”  
  
A loud knock on the Guild’s door echoed through the salon. Master Makarov rose to his feet, his grandson by his side, and waved so Max and Nab could open the door.  
  
He was the first one to enter the Guild – a few of his men stepping in behind him, Philip being one of them –, confident. The first impression Gray had of Jose Porla was that he was far older and thinner than he imagined. He had difficulty imagining why anyone would fear him until the moment he saw those black eyes – scary, deep and terrifying –; he understood why Juvia was afraid. But, of course, Gray was an Alpha and Alphas didn’t back down, so, when those lifeless eyes started to scan the whole guild and stopped when he found Juvia and Gajeel, Gray stepped in front of his mate without even realize, his own dark eyes narrowing in the other man’s direction.  
  
Jose, seeing Gray’s reaction, lift the side of his lips in a half smile before resuming his scanning, speaking only when he stepped closer to Makarov. Laxus stepped towards the man, just to remind the foreigner that there was imminent threat.  
  
“Master Makarov, isn’t it?” Jose asked with a heavy accent; he didn’t seem to mind the fact that he and his men were surrounded.  
  
“Jose Porla, I presume.” Makarov’s tone was cold as he stared the other Alpha with disdain. “What can I do for you?”  
  
The foreigner smiled and Gray could see his white teeth. “I was in the neighborhood and I heard that there was a guild in this town, so I came to pay my respects and imagine my surprise when I found two of my guild members here.”  
  
“Is that so?” Makarov’s eyebrows went high. “And who might those be?”  
  
“Those two over there.” Jose pointed towards Juvia and Gajeel without taking his eyes from the older man’s.  
  
“I think you are mistaken.” Makarov pretended to finally understand. “They are member of Fairy Tail., have been for a long time now.” Technically wasn’t the whole truth – neither of them had pledged themselves to the Guild, but they were family and even without a formal affiliation, they did make part of it. “They have been here for the past year and both are mated and with a life in Magnolia, so I do find hard to believe that they are the same people you are searching for.”  
  
“My information was that the male, Metalicana, was dead and until two days ago Stormi was unmarked.”  
  
“Then you are not here by coincidence as you would like me to believe, are you?” Makarov said. “Let’s cut the crap, Jose. You want them and you came all the way from Ishval to get them.”  
  
“Give them to me,” the foreigner man said smoothly. “and I’ll be in my way.” Hearing those words, Gray growled and gave a step towards Jose, but stopped when Juvia grabbed his hand. Jose raised an eyebrow with the interaction and then sniffed the air. His eyes widened a little. “Marked.”  
  
“And you are not taking her.” Gray snarled. “Not now, not ever.”  
  
For the first time they could finally see the anger in his expression. “Você é minha, Stormi. Não aceito essa marcação.” [You are mine, Stormi. I don’t accept this marking.] Jose said in ishvalian, snarling. “Tenho esperado por oito anos para te ensinar sua lição. Ninguém me deixa.” [I’ve waited for two years so I could teach you a lesson. No one leaves me.]  
  
“Nem comece com essa merda.” [Don’t even start this shit.] Gajeel told him. “Nós não temos mais nada a ver com você.” [We have nothing else to do with you anymore.]  
  
“Você, Metalicana, eu vou dar para quem pagar mais, para que tirem seus braços e pernas enquanto você está vivo.” [You, Metalicana, I’ll give you for whoever pays more, so they can take your arms and legs while you’re still alive.] The older ishvalian said between gritted teeth.  
  
“No, no, no, no.” Gray interfered them. “Don’t talk in ishvalian.”  
  
“Don’t worry; he’s just saying how he’ll sell me to the higher bidder so they take my limbs apart.” Gajeel informed.  
  
“You make friends wherever you go, huh?” Gray didn’t take his eyes off Jose. “It doesn’t matter either way, since neither of you are going anywhere.”  
  
“I don’t see Stormi here asking me to go away.” He stared at Juvia with a creepy smile, she took a deep breath before looking up to meet his stare.  
  
“We need to talk this out.” The Omega said with her voice stronger than she felt inside. “We are not leaving and you can’t keep coming after us.”  
  
Jose eyed her with curiosity. “Not gonna happen, girl.”  
  
At the same time, everyone at the guild got up from their seats and Jose’s men stood in a fighting pose. Makarov’s voice echoed. “There won’t be bloodbath today; Juvia will try reason with him.”  
  
“No.” Gray said. “We should just behead them, Master.”  
  
“Gray.” Their master’s tone was enough to prevent the younger Alpha to talk further – while Jose gave his men an order to stand down. “This is not how we do things: we will treat this diplomatically, but keep in mind, Jose, that Juvia and Gajeel are our kin now: they won’t be going anywhere they don’t want to. If you try to take them by force, we will fight.” Makarov stared at the blue haired Omega. “Are you sure about this?”  
  
She hesitated for a second. “Yes; this needs to end.” With a last look towards her mate, Juvia lead Jose to Makarov’s office and closed the door behind her. It took all of her willpower not to run outside and beg Gray to put his arms around her, to protect her from that monster. But she didn’t, instead, she pushed the fear down.  
  
“You have to stop it.” She told him after a moment. “It’s been eight years since we left; you can’t possibly still think about us, no one else does.  
  
“Oh, but they do.” Jose said between gritted teeth. “They look at me and all they see is an Alpha that couldn’t control his pack; a little omega girl ran away and I couldn’t find her for eight years. Every day I think about ways to get you back and how make you pay, Stormi.”  
  
“Make me pay?” Juvia snarled – something she would never do ten years before – the fear she felt turning into boiling anger. “You were the one that made my life hell. Do you have any idea how it is to never settle down? To run away in the middle of the night when you think someone is closing in? How many nightmares I had?”  
  
“From what I see that you’re doing just fine: you found a mate. If anything, if I hadn’t done my business, you wouldn’t run and you could’ve spent your whole life without meeting him.” The older man shrugged.  
  
It took her a moment to process what he said. “What?” The Omega asked in disbelief. “Are you…? I can’t even…”  
  
“Oh, calm down.” Jose rolled his eyes. “Do you even know how many omega working girls manage to put their lives together? Or live at all? Almost none. But then again, you were always special.”  
  
“I was never a working girl. You raped me and then tossed me around to men three times my age!” She yelled and the small part of her that wasn’t overwhelmed with hurt, prayed that Gray hadn’t listened and didn’t barge in the door. She needed to make him talk more. “I was thirteen when you started coming to my room, Jose. Thirteen!”  
  
“You were a woman by then, Juvia.” The man dismissed her with a wave of his hand. “You developed early. Plus, you were in heat.”  
  
“You knew that Aspirin suppress the smell.” She told him with anger. “You knew… You were supposed to protect me after my parents died.”  
  
“I gave you shelter, food and clothes.” The older man rolled his eyes. “Don’t make such a fuss about it, Stormi, really. You are an Omega, and your kind is to relieve males of their frustrations. It’s biology.”  
  
The blunette just stared at him, analyzing him and she could see that he really believed his words; he really thought that what he did to her was not only justifiable but also right. That poor excuse of a man actually believed that he did the correct thing when he raped her over and over again and then shared her with his buddies.  
  
All those years she feared a sick man? Because no sane person would ever think that way, as her friends showed her. Jose Porla was nothing else other than a very twisted individual who led here to believe that she needed to be afraid of everything, that he had the power, when in truth, he was the powerless one.  
  
Juvia was in control now, she had a life without him spooking her, and without thinking that Jose was hidden in the shadows waiting to jump on her at any second.  
  
Not anymore.  
  
“Do you still do it? Do you still have a girl somewhere, waiting for you to terrorize her?” The woman asked with a disgusted look on her face.  
  
“You don’t mess with a working system.” Jose stared at her and gave a step forwards her, but the Omega moved so he could stay away from her as much as before. “Oh, Stormi, you always were a beauty and you smell so nice – that’s why people fought so hard to get you, but now? You look stunning now, you let your hair down now, and you wear tighter clothes.” He leered at her. “You look good. Still smell marked, but I can find a perfume which will make you smell like pure Omega. I don’t like girls too mature, but I’ve always had a soft spot for you, my other girls aren’t you. Did you know that I kept you longer than any other?”  
  
“You will not touch me.” She growled at him. “Ever again. Leave. Now.”  
  
“I have men outside that could obliterate your little buddies, this place is surrounded.” Jose stepped closer to her and Juvia gave a few steps, just to find herself pressed against a wall with him too close to her liking. “If you and Metalicana come with me, I will leave them alone.”  
  
“What are you going do to us?” She asked.  
  
“Well…” He touched her neck, where she still had Gray’s bite from their mating a couple of nights before. “There are many people that could give a fortune to have Metalicana to fight for them – he’s a pain in the ass, but a good fighter. I bet that if we find his mate, he’ll put even more of a fight.” Juvia tensed with the thought of Levy with Jose and it almost made her sick, especially knowing how it would hurt her best friend. “As for you… you are mine until I get tired of you and people respect me again. I might even kill that stupid mate of yours in front of you, how about that?”  
  
Juvia could handle threats against her, but not against her friends and certainly not against her mate, her Gray-sama who did nothing to deserve the mess he found himself into for meeting her.  
  
An Omega didn’t dare to confront an Alpha, since they were usually too weak and didn’t have the courage to do it, but, as proved over and over again, Juvia Lockser was not a usual Omega.  
  
She threw herself on Jose – surprise, surprise, Jose, this kitten has sharp claws –, who was more than just surprised with the way the blunette started to let out years of frustration just flow out of her.  
  
#  
  
Gajeel watched as Gray walked from one side to another outside the room where Juvia and Jose were talking. As much as he was tense, Gajeel knew that the other man was feeling a thousand times worse: his mate was away from him with a male that was known to be a crazy bastard and who hurt the Omega in the past.  
  
All they wanted to do was to barge in the room and kill the man – most male alphas develop protective instincts with females they are in constant contact with –, but they had a plan to follow.  
  
“Calm down.” Natsu told Gray and people actually got surprised – Natsu telling someone to calm down? – but Gray just ignored him and kept pacing from one side to the other. “She’s going to be alright; she’s tough.” Gray snarled in response and Gajeel sighed.  
  
He understood how the man was feeling and he was glad that he convinced Levy to stay away from the Guild for the day – if any of Jose’s men even looked at her, they would lose their heads – and there Gray was, seeing his mate meet a rapist that looked at her as if he wanted more.  
  
Gray Fullbuster was a stronger man than Gajeel for keeping his cool.  
  
A loud crash could be heard from inside the room and suddenly everyone was moving. Gray and Gajeel ran towards the door that would lead them to Juvia while their friends prevented Jose’s men to do the same.  
  
The scene they found when the door was opened was the best thing Gajeel saw in a long time: an Omega girl sitting on an Alpha’s stomach while beating the shit out of him (scratching his face as well too, to the Alpha’s amusement).  
  
Gajeel held Gray while they saw her attack Jose with every ounce of force she had in her little body; she wasn’t going to get hurt – Jose was an old man now –, plus, he and her mate were right there in case. Juvia needed to let it out of her system after those eight years. Yes, Gajeel ran with her, they fought together, but he got it light in comparison. He couldn’t count how many nights she woke up screaming because a nightmare, of the number of panic attacks he witnessed and how many tears he saw her shed all because of Jose’s cruelty.  
  
She needed to punch the scum a few times. God knows she earned the right.  
  
“You were my boogieman for too long, Jose.” The blunette punched the older man once again and Gajeel was impressed – he taught her how to defend herself for the past eight years, and since then he knew she tried to stay in her best form and they often sparred, she never won against him, but sure as hell made him run for his money –, it was good to see his lessons paid off. “But in the end, you are just a pathetic old man who wants little girls to make you feel powerful.” She yelled on his face. “Your grasp on me is finally over.” Gajeel heard commotion outside the room and he assumed Juvia did as well, because she stopped her attack. “It’s me who will screw you this time.”  
  
A few men walked pass by Gajeel – who held Gray as hard as could so Juvia could have at least a bit of revenge – and he noticed that they were wearing FBI (Fiore Bureau of Investigation) jackets. When he realized that the cavalry arrived, he let go off Gray – who ran to be in Juvia’s side – and Gajeel saw the men handcuff the older Alpha.  
  
“We’ve been watching your ass for some time now, scum.” The officer who handcuffed Jose said.  
  
“Whatever that puta told you, it’s a lie!” Jose tried to free himself but the officer held him down with the help of the other two. “Eu vou te matar, Stormi!” [I will kill you, Stormi!]  
  
“Don’t even try; we got you on tape, genius.” Another officer, the older one, rolled his eyes. “I want to see how you like being raped in jail for twenty to life.”  
  
As they dragged Jose away, Gajeel took a moment to appreciate the sight of Jose handcuffed and with a broken nose. The younger Alpha even waved good-bye as the bastard was escorted away from the room with one of the men saying his rights.  
  
When Juvia came up with the idea of calling the police, both Gajeel and Gray had been skeptical – both preferred the plan where Jose ended up without a head after one hell of a beating –, but when the blunette told them that they were better than Jose and there was a chance that they could help other girls (whom Jose probably still kept).  
  
After talking to Master Makarov, they gathered Asuka’s mom and dad – they were snipers for the army after all, and they had people they knew in the police – to ask if they could pull it off, Biska called an old friend of hers and asked if a tape would be admissible as evidence (just to be sure). The name ‘Jose Porla’ connected them directly with the Bureau; they were joined with the Ishvalian Secret Service for three years, gathering as much evidence as they could about the Phantom Lord organization, but a video with the ring leader admitting rape? It would be the cherry on top.  
  
The plan was to get Jose to talk about selling people and raping the best Juvia could; the other evidences would support whatever she got him saying. Juvia would testify later, but it didn’t matter as long as Jose was locked up behind bars. Normally the older man wouldn’t be so easily fooled, but the opportunity to ‘redeem’ his honor as an Alpha after a young woman run away from him after stealing his money, was too good to pass and he made the mistake to go after her (his instinct told him to hunt his prey).  
  
Gajeel looked to the side of the room where his best friend was being held tightly against her mate, crying. He could only imagine how awful would’ve been to face Jose and after all that time finally be free.  
  
He stepped out the room to allow the couple to have privacy for a few minutes before they had to go to the precinct so Juvia could give her statement. Gajeel was thrilled that the chasing had stopped, but he wanted to go home real bad; he had a mate to kiss and a belly to stroke for hours.  
  
#  
  
Gray didn’t want to let go of her. He knew she was alright, that Jose didn’t hurt her, but even so it was hard to just open his arms and let her go, so, he chose to hold on tighter and the Omega didn’t seem to mind – she hugged him back just as hard.  
  
“Are you okay?” Gray whispered after kissing the top of her head and finally thinking that she would need to put ice on her knuckles after the beating she gave Jose.  
  
“Babies.” She mumbled and the Alpha almost didn’t get what she said.  
  
“What?” The man frowned in confusion. Maybe she hit her head while fighting with Jose?  
  
“It’s over.” Reluctantly Juvia separated her body from Gray’s, just a bit.” After thirteen years, Juvia can finally think of the future and… All she can think now is babies. Lots and lots of babies.”  
  
Gray raised his eyebrows. “Really?”  
  
“Yes.” She laughed while tears fell down on her face. “You asked a few months ago how Juvia felt about babies and at the moment she couldn’t let herself to feel anything… but now? That’s all I can think about! Maybe this is nesting coming from the mark, but it doesn’t matter!” The Omega kissed his lips lightly.  
  
“Oh… okay.” Gray said, a little overwhelmed. What was happening? She was just kicking an old man’s ass and now she was talking about children? “Babies, then?”  
  
“Six babies.” She smiled.  
  
“What? Six?”  
  
“It’s a nice number, right?” She asked with a giggle.  
  
“And so are one and two.” Gray pointed out; he was happy that Juvia was clearly making plans for the future, and the mage inside him howled in delight with the thought of her pregnant – her stomach stretched with his child inside her –, but there was no way he’d have six children: too many mouths to feed.  
  
“It doesn’t matter the number!” She waved his worry off. “And… oh, oh, oh: a dog! Or a cat!” Juvia stopped for a second. “We could have a dog and a cat! I could never have a pet before because I would need to run at any time.”  
  
“Okay, take a deep breath.” Her boyfriend cupped her face tenderly with his hands. “You have been through a lot for the past few days – hell, over the past decade – and now that you’re finally free of it, you are overwhelmed.”  
  
“Yes, sorry.” Juvia’s smile widened. “It’s just… the possibilities are endless now. Oh! Juvia wants to travel, really travel. See nice places and do all the stuff normal people do when they travel.”  
  
“Alright.” Gray chuckled. “When you finally settle your mind in one thing at a time, we can think of something. I’m all up for traveling and even have a small pet. In a couple of years, though, after we enjoyed each other for a while, we can start on baby making. You can play with Gajeel’s kid when it is born in a few months. Deal?”  
  
“It’s so nice to be free.” “Juvia feels like she’s dreaming.”  
  
“You will have to testify, don’t forget about that.” Gray told her as sweetly as he could, reminding her that she would face Jose a few more times.  
  
“It doesn’t matter.” She shrugged. “He’s behind bars now. All of Phantom Lord will fall, you heard the agents, they have enough evidence to convict him.”  
  
“Yes.” The Alpha rested his forehead on hers. “You were very brave today, Juvia.” He saw her gloating with the praise. “But I promise you that this was the last time you had to face danger without me.”  
  
“Don’t be silly, Gray-sama; you were right here with Juvia, whispering in her mind and giving her strength.” The Omega smiled to her mate. “Juvia hasn’t been alone for a while.”  
  
#  
  
Four years later  
  
“Hi there, sweetheart.” Juvia smiled to her eight months old son, who was happily chewing his fingers. His dark eyes flicked to the woman and the boy smiled. “Have you been up for long?” The baby took his hand out of his mouth and showed his mother the two little teeth he had and the blunette woman felt her heart flutter with happiness. “Do you need a diaper change?” Laughing, he started to move his arms and legs all over the place; Juvia chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes. Plus, the smell was a giveaway.”  
  
The child was the apple of his mother and father’s eyes, since the moment they knew about her pregnancy. When they finally agreed to try and have a child of their own – after enjoy a few travels around Fiore and each other for two years –, Juvia became scared about such responsibility, but, with not only Gray’s support, but all of her friends’, she knew that it wouldn’t be easy but she could do it: Juvia was going to protect her child.  
  
Crazy enough, it was Gray who freaked out while she was giving birth while Juvia had to cope with hours of strong contractions and her mate worrying about not only about their son, but also seeing his beloved in pain: male mages always got restless when their mates were having children – their overprotective nature showing itself, it was utterly ridiculous and somewhat sweet for others but an extra job for the women.  
  
By Juvia’s request, they named the boy River – unlike her mother, Juvia wasn’t such a fan of rain, but took liking in water in general – and he was a perfect mixture of both his parents: with dark hair just like his father, blue eyes like his mother and adorable chubby cheeks.  
  
While changing the baby’s diaper, Juvia sang a soft tune to calm him down and dutifully, River kept staring at his mother while he was cleaned. Once it was done, she held him again.  
  
“Let’s search for your father, River?” The Omega asked and the child babbled happily. Juvia could barely believe that she had such a healthy and happy baby – River did like to laugh and was easy going, unlikely Vivian, Gajeel and Levy’s daughter (who almost never laughed) and Luigi, Natsu and Lucy’s son (who would throw a major tantrum whenever he got too tired or hungry), but they were all very sweet kids in their own way.  
  
Juvia found her mate, shirtless and with messy-bed-like hair, in the kitchen, searching for something inside the fridge. The woman took a moment to stare at his ass through his underwear before clearing her throat.  
  
“Good morning.” The man smiled to them and the boy threw his arms towards Gray, who took the child from Juvia. The Alpha kissed River’s cheek and then leaned towards his mate to kiss her lips.  
  
“Good morning” Juvia chuckled. “I’ll warm up his bottle.”  
  
“Already did.” Gray went close to the sink and grabbed a blue bottle. Seeing it, River tried to grab it, but his father took it away from him. “Wait up, kid; I need to take the top off.” After doing it, he finally gave it to the child, who eagerly started to eat. “If someone else sees how he eats, they’ll think that we don’t feed him enough.”  
  
“Mages eat more than human, especially babies.” Juvia told him and proceeded to prepare the breakfast for her and Gray while her mate finished feeding their son and then putting him on the baby chair with some cereal so he could eat and pass time.  
  
After the couple ate, Gray gathered the dishes and put them on the sink while Juvia cleaned the table. She, then, stared at her son with a big smile and then to her mate, wondering how lucky she was to have found that amazing man, who knew about her past, accepted her even so and supported her through the whole Jose situation.  
  
“Are you alright?” Gray stepped closer to the blunette.  
  
“I love you.” She tip toed to kiss his mouth. “And River.”  
  
Gray frowned. “I love you too.” The man put his hands on her hips and she sighed in content; it was nice that her mate told her the three big words from time to time, and even if those times were few, every time it made her heart beat fast. “You know that, right?”  
  
“Yes.” The Omega sighed. “It’s just… It still seems like a dream: our friends, you and River… Especially River, because he is so perfect. Juvia still fears that she’ll wake up back in Geyger.”  
  
“You’re not.” Gray kissed the top of her head. “You’re here, with us.” Both looked towards River, who was dirtying himself while trying to eat. “We’re doing a good job, Juvia. For once in our lives, we’re happy. Let’s just enjoy it.”  
  
“Always. Every minute.” Juvia rested her head on her mate’s naked chest while the man wrapped his arms around her. “Juvia just feels incredibly lucky.”  
  
“Even after changing River’s diaper?” Gray joked. “I don’t feel particularly lucky when it’s my turn.”  
  
“Even then, yes.” The woman chuckled. “You two are my boys and Juvia wouldn’t change either of you for anything in the world.”  
  
It was Gray’s turn to chuckle. “Since you changed him earlier, how about I take River and give him his bath so we can go to the Guild? For a little guy with a water related name, he sure goes in kicking and screaming.”  
  
“But when he’s in, though, it’s tough to get him out.” Juvia pointed out.  
  
“That’s true.” Gray let go off of her and stepped closer to the child. “Come on, River, let’s get you all cleaned up so we can go see your little buddies.” River raised his arms towards his father, expecting to be picked up and the Alfa did exactly that; with his chubby hands, the child touched the older man’s face, dirtying it. “Great, now I’m dirty too.” Gray rolled his eyes and the little boy laughed out loud.  
  
“Give him a bath and then call me, so Juvia can dress him while you take a shower.” The blunette suggested and the man nodded.  
  
“I suppose there’s a chance of you to join me in the shower?” Gray raised an eyebrow and Juvia giggled. “I’ll take that as a ‘maybe’, then.”  
  
“It’s a ‘no’, Gray-sama.” The Omega pushed him out of the kitchen and towards the bathroom. “We have a very awake baby to take care of. Later.” She gave him a pointed look before return to the kitchen.  
  
“Did you hear that, River?” Gray tickled the boy. “You’re getting in the way. For your punishment: you shall take a bath.” Juvia saw her mate raise the boy above his head and the Omega heard her son laugh with Gray and her heart swollen with such overwhelming love and pride for her family.  
  
She fought for them, he earned them and her boys were meant to be with her. Juvia Lockser Fullbuster couldn’t be happier even if she tried: she had it all she ever wanted. An amazing mate, a wonderful son and the best friends she could ever have.  
  
That life was good for an Omega, but she was no longer just an Omega: she was a friend, a mother and a mate. But most of all: she was free.  
  
-THE END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sobs* Thank you for stick with me ‘til the end, guys, you are amazing. I hope you enjoyed the ride – and the finale – as much as I did!

**Author's Note:**

> AN: TWENTY-ONE pages. Okay, this is the longest chapter I've EVER written. Don't expect another one with this length in a very long time, if ever.
> 
> Maybe I'll continue this, maybe I won't. Too many unanswered questions, right? I have ideas, but I won't promise to write more, it may happen, though.
> 
> And, think about Juvia and Gajeel with a British accent; while the others have American accents. I think it suits them. ;)
> 
> BTW, I don't want to make Gray look like the god of sex. This is from Juvia's POV (-ish) and she is in heat for him. They fit; have chemistry, whatever you might call. If he had sex with Lucy, for example, it wouldn't be the earth shattering experience that it was for Juvia. It all depends on who you have sex with. Juvia found her match, alright?
> 
> What did you think? :D
> 
> 07/23/2013 ~ BonneyQ


End file.
